


Fangan Ronpa: Excursion Of Hope and Despair's Remnants (Working Title)

by fuandon



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Gen, Major Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, POV Original Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2017-12-24 03:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuandon/pseuds/fuandon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new year brings a new class of Hope's Peak Academy students - however, their year gets off to a bad start when they wake up in an abandoned classroom! How did they get there? And what's with this Monobear Land?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Hope’s Outpost - The End Of Despair? Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira Mizuno, a self-professed ordinary girl, gets called to Hope's Peak Academy a day before the new school year...

Another summer has come and gone…

As usual, this brought about mixed feelings in me. On one hand, there would be schedules, routines, and homework. On the other hand, I’d get to see all my friends on a daily basis!

And that’s the routine my life had fallen into. Until this year, that is.

This year, my life took a turn for the unexpected.

I was invited to attend Hope’s Peak Academy.

The highly accredited school for the nation’s best and brightest. And I’ll be one of them. It’s incredible! It’s exciting! It’s… it’s… How the hell am I gonna fit in? Everyone accepted by Hope’s Peak has their own Super High School Level talent… something they excel at above all others. So what do I have? According to the academy, I have “Super High School Level Good Luck”. My name was picked in the yearly lottery they hold. I’ve never had anything this extraordinary happen in my life before. Never won a cent in the lottery; heck, never even found a penny lying on the ground face-up.

And now here I am, standing by the broad, majestic gates of the academy, ready to start a new chapter of my life.

Actually, that’s tomorrow. Today I’m here to fill out some paperwork. Or something. Not really sure. My mom’s notoriously bad at taking messages. Oh well, guess I’ll find out inside. I pushed the gate open a crack and slipped inside. It took all my willpower to not just stand and admire the magnificent building, towering far above me. I was feeling a little nauseous, but I guess it was just my nerves. Being here in person, the reality of the situation started to sink in.

Covering the distance between fence and building quickly, I let myself in. The entrance hall was much larger than I expected. Tall arches on the ceiling helped add to the spaciousness of the room, while several large windows cast the sunlight across the ornate tiled floor. It was so bright in here. The walls were painted a light tan, and seemed to attract the sunlight from the windows. On the far wall hung a bulletin board, the one reminder that this space was in fact a school and not a five-star hotel. With everything around me, it took some time before I noticed him. He was an older gentleman, wearing a flowing white coat over a white dress shirt and black pants. Flipping through a stack of papers, his eyes wandered around the room occasionally - from the large wall clock to the door and back. Finally he noticed my presence, and approached me.

“Ah, you must be Akira Mizuno.” He spoke very matter-of-factly, examining me through his small silver glasses. I could only nod. “Glad you could make it. I’m Tamotsu Morita, one of the faculty here.”

“Um, nice to meet you.” That was about all I could muster. Something about this place was giving me a headache. He smiled, putting my mind at ease somewhat.

“Right this way.” He gestured toward a large set of doors leading further into the school. Damn, my head’s pounding. I’m in no mood to argue as Morita puts a hand on my shoulder, directing me further inside. However, before we could enter… My legs gave out. The world around me started to blur. My arms were shaking as I laid on the floor, struggling to catch my breath. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Morita kneeling down beside me. His voice rang dull in my ears, but I could still understand him fairly well.

"Mizuno? Mizuno! Hey, stay with me…"

His voice slowly faded away, leaving a dull ringing in my ears. That too faded in time as I closed my eyes, letting myself be taken by the darkness.


	2. Prologue: Hope’s Outpost - The End Of Despair? Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira wakes up in an empty classroom, surrounded by who could only be her new classmates...

**Who are you?**

**Who… am I?**

When I come to, I’m surrounded by darkness. I tried to move my arms and legs, but nothing happened. In this void, I couldn’t even tell if I had a body. I merely existed - no, there’s room for doubt there, too. At least my mind is clear. Looking around, I try to find some sort of landmark, but no such luck. It’s too dark. And I’m all alone. Panic starts to set in.

Suddenly, off in the distance, I see a light. It does little to brighten my surroundings, merely standing there as a beacon. I need to find the source. No matter how much I move, the light doesn’t seem to be getting any closer. No… I’m starting to doubt my physical form again. Am I even moving, or am I just convincing myself so? I don’t know. Reluctantly, I give up on this pointless chase. The light is slowly growing larger. Is it… approaching me? Come to mock me, no doubt.

The light is blinding, but I can’t look away. It inches closer and closer before coming to a stop a few feet from me. As I stared, unblinking, into this light, I hear a voice echoing in my head.

**“Who are you? Who am I?”**

As I look on, the light begins to swirl, as if something was bubbling up from inside. Before long the light clears up, and I see a face. It’s… mine.

“-ey.”

“Hey… y… alrig-?”

The face - my face - opens its mouth and blinks, getting used to its new features.

“-ey… Wake up…”

It smiles at me; a broad, toothy grin. I need to get out of here…

“Hey!”

————

My eyes snap open and I sit up, struggling to catch my breath. As I gather my thoughts, I realize that I’m lying flat on my back in what must be a classroom. There seem to be desks and chairs around me, after all. More importantly, several pairs of eyes are staring intently at me.

“Bout time you woke up.” A dark-haired young man was sitting cross-legged next to me, looking bored. He wore a tattered-looking grey sport coat over a brown t-shirt with the words ‘Wood Carbuncle’ on it. His hair was dark, like a night sky before the last glimpse of light disappears… Why am I waxing poetic about this guy? I can feel myself turning a little red. He must have noticed too, because he raised an eyebrow, looking perplexed. “Are you alright?”

“Um, yeah.” I muttered as I scrambled to my feet, slamming my head on a desk. My legs promptly bucked, sending me back to the floor. “Owww…”

“You alright, lady?” Kneeling next to me was a scruffy-looking young man with brown hair. He wore a shabby green trenchcoat over a faded white dress shirt and red tie, along with green slacks. A little pencil was tucked in his ear, and a small notebook was sticking out of his pocket. He looked genuinely concerned.

“Kiyomizu. Give her space.” A dark-skinned young woman grabbed the scruffy man by the collar of his shirt, dragging him to his feet. She wore a black suit with red tie, complete with black dress pants. Her long, black hair was tied neatly in a ponytail. All in all, she radiated an air of authority. Just when I was feeling thoroughly intimidated, she smiled, offering me her hand. “You ok there, sweetheart?”

I nodded, taking her hand as she helped me to my feet. My legs were still unsteady, so I leaned on a desk as I looked the room over. It was pretty typical for a classroom; slightly rectangular, with a blackboard and podium at one end and a door at the other end. Sixteen desks stood in four rows of four, so everything seemed in order. I was slightly put off by a lack of windows in the room, but right now I had bigger problems. A roomful of students were staring intently at me. Including the three I had already talked to, I counted fourteen. Are these… my classmates? The scruffy man approached me, an innocent smile on his face.

“You must be the new girl!” he chuckled. The girl in the black suit promptly shoved him aside.

“Shut up, Kiyomizu.” She sat on the desk across from me and crossed her legs. “You with us now, hun?” I nodded. “So, what’s your name?”

“Akira. Akira Mizuno.” That was about all I could manage in my current state. The girl across from me offered me her hand. It took a moment before I realized she wanted to shake my hand. I took hers, and we shook hands firmly.

“Well, it’s a pleasure, Miss Mizuno. My name’s Charise Emmett.” Her smile was warm and welcoming, completely opposite to her intimidating appearance. I mull the name over in my head before a light clicks on.

“Wait, THE Charise Emmett? The hotshot lawyer?” I must have read up on my classmates beforehand, because words and images were flowing back into my head. Charise Emmett was famous for being the youngest person to ever pass the bar exam. She promptly moved to Japan, where she proved she belonged by winning several high-profile cases in her first year as a lawyer. No wonder she was so intimidating at first… she was a Super High School Level Lawyer, after all! She grinned, shrugging slightly.

"That’s me!" She looked a little embarrassed, not sure how to react to my enthusiasm. Oh… I guess I should tone it down a little. These Super High School Level students have probably heard all this before. We’re on equal footing here, so I should treat them like classmates. Equal footing… equal footing. Emmett turned to the scruffy man next to her and slapped him on the shoulder. "This here’s Keiji Kiyomizu."

"A pleasure, miss." He nodded, wincing slightly. Kiyomizu was a name I recognized instantly. He was known as the Super High Level Private Investigator, after all. A few years back, he helped solve a high-profile kidnapping case, an act which got his name into the national news. People say he’ll take any case, and his success rate is legendary. The pain must have faded, because he was chuckling to himself. I wonder what was so funny.

"Good. You’re back with us." The young man in the grey sport coat stood up, his sour expression unchanged. "Now we can figure out what’s going on."

"I’m… back?" What the heck is he talking about? He put a hand on his chin, studying me.

"The color’s returned to your face and the light’s back in your eyes. It’s safe to say you’ve recovered from your little power nap."

"The hell’re you sayin’, dude?" A tall guy with curly brown hair stepped forward, shaking his fist. He wore a black leather vest over a white t-shirt, with black leather pants. There were a pair of black sunglasses nestled in the curls of his hair, which shook every time he moved.

"I’m simply stating a fact. Out of all of us, Mizuno was unconscious the longest." Surprisingly, the grey-suit guy smirked. His nonchalant attitude put off the curly guy a little.

“Well… um… y’see…” He sputtered.

“Tch… Idiot.” A blonde-haired girl scoffed at the curly guy. Looking closer, her hair was shoulder-length with the slightest tint of pin. She wore a long-sleeved silver shirt - which seemed to sparkle - and tight black jeans. There was a small pink bow in her slightly curled hair… Wow, I’m having trouble taking my eyes off her. I swear I recognize her, though…

“Cool it, guys!” Emmett raised her voice just enough to get everyone’s attention. “Before we start arguing with each other, shouldn’t we at least introduce ourselves to Mizuno now that she’s awake?” Well, that would be nice.

“I suppose that’s fair.” The grey-suit guy nodded, looking me in the eye. “Tohru Yomihiro.” Satisfied with his introduction, he stepped back. Kiyomizu clapped him on the back, causing him to jump.

“That’s right! Yommy here’s a psychic!” Yomihiro glared at Kiyomizu, who didn’t seem to notice. That’s right, I remember now. Yomihiro was the pupil of a world-renowned psychic. I dunno… I guess he does… psychic things? Don’t judge me… he’s a Super High School Level Psychic for a reason! Anyways, the curly guy seemed to have gotten over his anger, because he approached me, grinning.

“Nobuyuki Amari. Nice ta meetcha, dude!” Amari? That’s right, he’s a Super High School Level Drummer. He plays drums for a popular rock band; I think it’s called Appropriate Red Pilots or something. Not a big fan of rock, honestly. But hey, they’ve played some pretty big gigs, so who am I to judge? A slightly shorter guy wearing a grey flat cap sidled up to Amari, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Satoshi Kanno. How ya doin’, girl?” Something about him annoyed me already. Aside from his cap, he was wearing an olive green dress shirt and a black zipper hoodie (currently unzipped), along with blue jeans. It took a bit for his name to ring a bell, but then I remembered - he’s a Super High School Level Comedian. And from his introduction, I could immediately tell that it wasn’t the sort of comedy I enjoyed. Before I could respond, a girl wearing grey suspenders over a blue shirt punched Kanno square in the gut.

“Don’t mind him.” She shoved Kanno out of the way as he doubled over in pain. Looking at her, she had light brown hair which came down to her shoulders. Around her neck hung a large camera, and she carried a notebook in her pocket, as well. “Mari Yanagi. Nice to meet you, Akari!” The name bounced around in my head for a bit before I remembered. She’s the Super High School Level Journalist! I’ve read a lot of the articles she’s written, actually. She’s covered a lot of major stories while working for one of the biggest newspapers in Japan. Quite the legend, honestly. Well.. I should really stop gawking.

“So, Mizuno. Off the record… what’s your talent?” She asked, pulling out her notebook and flipping it open.

“Um… good luck…”

“Any comment on your first day at Hope’s Peak?” She was absorbed in her notebook, scribbling madly.

“Honestly, Yanagi. Give the girl a break.” Before I could respond to her, a petite girl wearing a creamsicle colored jacket and orange pants approached me. She ran a hand through her short auburn hair and smiled. “Risa Kimura. It’s a pleasure!”

"T-the pleasure’s all mine!" It really was. Kimura is a Super High School Figure Skater, one worthy of being on Japan’s Olympic team next winter. On the ice she looked so elegant and reserved. She seemed awfully bubbly and energetic in person.

"Um… hello…" A short, black-haired boy stepped forward, hands crossed in front of him. He was wearing a white polo shirt with blue sleeves and blue shorts.

"Come on now." Kimura patted the boy on the back, nudging him forward. "Don’t be shy. Introduce yourself!"

"I’m… um… Fuyuki H-H-Hideaki." Oh, right. He was the youngest grand slam winner in the history of tennis. A real Super High School Tennis Player! He seems much more… fragile in person.

“Ehh… Hideaki, don’t crowd the girl.” A tall, gangly guy with slick black hair tried to insert himself into the conversation. He wore a dark brown vest jacket over a white dress shirt, complete with green plaid bow tie. Eww… His outfit was finished with a pair of olive green plaid pants and a pair of glasses with thick black frames and large lenses. He didn’t look very intimidating, but Hideaki recoiled from his scolding nonetheless.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry…” Hideaki retreated to the back of the room. The gangly guy took his place.

“Ehh… Fumio Miyamoto, at your service.” If I recall, he runs a popular occult blog, fitting for a Super High School Level Occultist. It takes a certain kind of crazy to stay out all night in abandoned buildings looking for ghosts, and well… he fits the profile.

"You idiots done yet?" The blonde-haired girl from earlier looked my way, not bothering to approach me. I swear I recognize her…

"Sayuri Takara. Don’t you forget it." Oh, that’s right… she’s the Super High School Level Actress! I think she made it big starring in the movie adaptation of a series of fsntasy romance novels. Not a big fan of them. Too hokey for me.

"Ahem." A young man wearing a white starched blazer and dark purple tie stepped forward from the back of the room. The other students stepped aside, giving him his space. His dark brown hair was slicked back on his head, however he looked much more dignified than Miyamoto. It almost seemed like he was constantly looking down on the world. Now that he firmly had the room’s attention, his expression softened a touch. "Takashi Asahi. Nice to meet you, Miss Mizuno." To my surprise, he took my hand and kissed it gently. He’s a Super High School F-Fencer, if I recall…

"N-Nice to meet you, too…" I felt myself blushing violently. Asahi gestured to the girl standing next to him. She had long, blonde hair with blue eyes. To be honest, she looked quite stunning. She wore a red blouse with a black skirt underneath a beige apron, clutching a sketchbook to her chest like a safety blanket. Biting her lip, she looked up at Asahi nervously. He nodded, turning back to me.

"And this is Katrine Sonnen." Hmm… I recognize the name. If memory serves, she’s from Germany. That’s right, for the first time Hope’s Peak decided to open their doors to foreign students of exceptional talent. Sonnen was a Super High School Level Artist, if I recall.

"Nice to meet you!" I took a step towards her, smiling. She responded by hugging her sketchbook to her even tighter.

"Nice… to meet you… too…" Sure didn’t sound like it. Looks like I’ve finally met someone more timid than me. I’m kinda proud. I guess. I took a step back, dejected.

As I looked the room over, I remembered the article I read about the first foreign Hope’s Peak students. There were three, if I recall. Scanning the room, I pick out two students I didn’t recognize. They must be the other two! A little excited, I moved over to introduce myself.

The taller of the two caught my attention. He was tall and thickly built, easily the tallest of the students in the room. His hair was short and black, complete with a thick goatee. Wow…

"You must be the Super High School Level Weightlifter…" Wait, did I just say that out loud? All too late I took notice of his outfit. He wore a black tricorn hat and a dark blue jacket with gold clasps, complete with white frilly cravat.i hope no one heard that…

"Excuse me! What the hell is wrong with you, woman?" The girl next to him spoke up, approaching me with her arms crossed. She was easily the shortest of the students, although her temper seemed to be the biggest. She has short, blonde hair which was naturally curly, and she wore a blue sweatsuit striped with red. Oh, and… she looked pretty pissed off. “You… You of all people! How dare you!” She poked me in the chest with each spiteful word. I think it’s safe to say that she’s the SHSL Weightlifter.

“ENOOOOOOOUGH!” The massive guy next to her let out a surprisingly melodic roar, stopping the girl in her tracks. “She meant you no HAAAAARM!”

“Tch, fine…” She backed off, looking away from me.

“Anyways…” The guy offered me his hand. “I am Marco Agnelli.” Oh, if he’s not… then he must be the Super High School Opera Singer. He must be in costume. How did I make such a dumb mistake? Agnelli looked over to the short girl, who refused to look at me. “And this is Natasha Nidanskiiiiiii!” I see… judging by the name, she must be Russian. I never would have expected her of all people to be a weightlifter. Now that I had thoroughly embarrassed myself, I left Nidanski and Agnelli and headed towards another area of the room. Yomihiro headed towards the front of the room, turning to face us.

“Now that that’s out of the way, can we talk about the elephant in the room?” He looked over the room, expecting a reply.

“You m-mean… how we got here?” Hideaki stammered.

“Obviously.” Takara scoffed, glaring at him. “Plus, we need to find out what she knows.” She jabbed her thumb in my general direction.

“Good idea.” Emmett nodded, turning to address me. “Do you remember anything that happened before you woke up here?” Concentrating, the events of the past few days started to come back to me.

“The last thing I remember is coming to school…” I rubbed my forehead, trying to focus my mind. Yanagi perked up suddenly.

“Aha! I thought so!” She flipped open her notebook, scribbling madly. “You lost consciousness when you entered the building, right?”

“On the day school started?” Kimura seemed equally excited to hear what I had to say.

“Well, I came by the day before school started. I met this teacher… and then I passed out.”

“Whoa, dude… that’s crazy…” Amari looked flabbergasted.

“It happened to all of us, you imbecile.” Takara scoffed at him. Yanagi continued to scribble away aimlessly. Asahi glared at her from across the room.

“Ehh… I, for one, am more interested to know what the institution requested of her one day early…” Miyamoto pushed his glasses up his nose, feigning thought. His question was a fair one, though. Why was I called on a day early?

“You mean I was the only one who came a day early?” Miyamoto giggled, at least until Yanagi smacked him on the back of his head.

“Curious…” Yomihiro muttered under his breath for a little, pacing back and forth at the front of the room. Finally, he stopped and looked back at us. “But we’re not gonna accomplish anything right now. We should focus on the more pressing issue here.” He looked over towards the lone door in the room. Asahi, the closest to the door, approached it and placed his hand on the knob. Just then… a loud mechanical whirring sound rang out from the front of the room. Asahi quickly pulled his hand back, surprised. Sonnen clung to his arm in her shock. Even Yomihiro looked like he was caught off guard.

As we stared on, the podium collapsed, and a mechanical screen rose out of it, leveling itself in front of us. It was suspended on some kind of mechanical arm rising from the ground. Static started to appear on the screen. Before long, an image appeared. Seated in a chair in a room I didn’t recognize was a face I did.

“Mr. Morita?”

—————

**Prologue: Hope’s Outpost - The End Of Despair?**

**START**


	3. Prologue: Hope’s Outpost - The End Of Despair? Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What news does Professor Morita have for his students? Why are they here?

On the screen in front of us was the very same Tamotsu Morita who I had met that day. The walls behind him were pure white - almost blindingly so - and there were several odd-looking machines in the background. He looked calm, exactly like he did when I last saw him. The room fell silent.

“Greetings, students.” We could only stare back at him, unsure of how to react. After a few moments, he broke into a smile before continuing. “Welcome to the first ever Hope’s Peak Academy Seminar Camp!”

“A… seminar camp?” Kiyomizu shook his head, trying to make sense of this declaration. Yanagi fidgeted with her camera. Sonnen huddled close to Asahi, who looked rather pale himself. Even Agnelli stood in silence.

“Dude… this for real?” Amari stared blankly at the screen, his mouth half open.

"You must all be quite confused. I apologize for that." Morita continued. "Certain… measures were necessary for the sake of this project."

"The hell? What ‘project’?" Takara clenched her fists. If he was in the room, I think she might actually have tried to hit him.

"And why was it necessary to drug us?" Nidanski looked equally ticked off. I don’t really blame her. Morita sighed, adjusting his glasses.

"I guess I owe you an explanation. But first, I should introduce myself, since the only one I’ve actually met is Mizuno."

"So this is the teacher you spoke of?" Emmett asked me. I nodded.

"My name is Tamotsu Morita, head of the psychology department at Hope’s Peak Academy. This camp you will be participating in is an informal social experiment sponsored by our department."

"So, what do we have to do?" Yomihiro sighed. For a minute I thought I saw a hint of concern in his eyes.

"The element of surprise was necessary, I do apologize for that. But fear not." Morita smiled for the first time, trying to reassure us. "While you are in this seminar camp, you shall want for nothing. We’ve brought you to this oasis so you can live in comfort." His face disappeared from the screen, replaced by a map. I couldn’t recognize the location, but I saw a river or two passing through the area. Morita continued his speech while the map was on-screen. "You are free to do what you will while here. All we ask is that you live, and bond with each other.” With this, the map disappeared from the screen, and Morita appeared once more.

“So, we just… live? That’s it?” Kimura looked skeptical. Kiyomizu kept looking over at Emmett, who herself had her arms crossed, contemplating what she had just heard.

“Heh… you gotta be joking…” Kanno was trying to laugh the situation off. It didn’t seem to be working; he was looking quite pale. “I’m not gonna start seein’ the future, am I?”

“Ehh… I have confusion!” Miyamoto muttered, scratching the back of his head.

“And we’re just supposed to accept this?” Emmett spoke up, her voice flat and emotionless. “I suppose it’s too late to back out, isn’t it.”

“I do apologize for springing this on you so suddenly.” Morita nodded slightly. “However we shall insure your utmost comfort and security while you are a part of this experiment.”

“Screw this!” Takara kicked a desk over, making her way towards the door. “I’m outta here. I don’t need this crap.” Morita didn’t react at all to this outburst. Someone else, on the other hand, did.

“Where will you go?” Yomihiro glared across the room at her. “The door’s locked, remember?” Takara froze, realizing her error. She considered trying the doorknob for a minute, before pulling her hand back.

“Ugh… Screw you.” She glared back at Yomihiro, before making for a corner of the room and planting herself in a chair, pouting.

“Like Emmett said, we don’t appear to have much choice.” Yomihiro continued, unphased by Takara’s little outburst. “Whether he’s lying or not, we’re still in a locked room in some undisclosed location. We don’t really have any choice but to play along.” He’s not wrong, and I think the others are starting to realize this.

“So… what do we do now?” Asahi’s voice was strained. The screen sprang to life as Morita responded.

"I’m glad you understand. Well then… whenever you’re ready… go forth into your new home!" He flashed a goofy grin, saluting us. A loud click echoed through the room. To our surprise, the door clicked open, sliding ajar. It took a few minutes for this to sink in.

"The door… It just…" Nidanski was sputtering in her confusion.

"…OOOOPEEEEEENNNNED?!" Agnelli finished the thought in his usual melodic fashion.

"B-But how? Who?" Hideaki cried. Yanagi had her notepad open, but wrote nothing.

"Hmmm… yes…" Miyamoto fiddled with a metal device in his pocket. Suddenly, the device beeped, sending him into a frenzy. "No waaaay!"

"Shall we?" Yomihiro motioned towards the open door.  I nodded, following him. Before long, we were all gathered around the slightly ajar door. After some hesitation, Kanno stepped forward.

“Welp, let’s do this thing! Geronim-” He was cut off by a sudden burst of static from across the room.

“Hey! Wh- the…” On the screen, Morita’s picture started to distort. “What…th…happen…” His voice was breaking up, slowly disappearing into the static. We passed nervous gazes through our group, none of us sure what to do now.

“What the hell’s going on?” I blurted out suddenly. Although he was slowly fading away, Morita fixed his eyes on us. He was talking slowly, trying to overpower the static. Amidst it all, two words made it through.

“Students… live!”

With that, the monitor shut off, and the room fell silent.

“What… the hell, man…” Amari fiddled with his sunglasses, trying to distract himself. Miyamoto and Yanagi paced nervously, while everyone else stood by, stunned. Emmett pushed through the crowd, making for the door.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

“Upupupupu…”

An insidious laugh rang out across the room.

“What is this? Some kind of crummy nature lodge? It’s so dull. Despair-inducingly dull!”

“Who’s there?” Emmett roared.

“My my… Too many trees for my taste. I think it’s time for a remodel!” The door slammed shut, and the room around us started to shake violently. An earthquake? In no time flat I was knocked off my feet by the tremors. My head bounced off the floor with a thud. I laid there flat on my back, stunned. The panicked shrieks of my classmates dulled in my ears. Heck, the throbbing of my head was even starting to fade.

How can I… fall asleep… in this mess…

How can I…

Ugh, my head…

 —————

  **Who are you?**

**Who… am I?**

 I’m standing face to face with the light again. Of course, face to face is relative. I am an endless void of darkness, faced with a glowing mass of light. The light speaks to me, simply echoing its voice in my head. I can’t help but think I’ve heard this voice before.

**Oh, I see… It’s started.**

Of course I recognize this voice. It’s mine.

**No, that’s not quite accurate. It’s been going on for a while now.**

Going on? What do you mean?

**I… don’t remember.**

Well that sucks.

**All I know… is that it’s starting… all over again.**

All… over again?

**Whatever happens… Don’t die on me, ok?**

With that, the light disappeared, leaving me alone in my darkness.

—————

“Akira! Wake up!”

When I came to, I was leaning up against the wall. Yomihiro had his hands on my shoulders, shaking me. A few steps away Emmett was kneeling down, looking concerned. Behind her, I saw Asahi and Sonnen standing side by side. Amari was curled up in a ball on the floor, shaking. On the floor behind him, I saw Miyamoto sprawled out awkwardly, groaning. I was looking for everyone else, but Yomihiro shook me again, sending a sharp pain up my neck.

“Ow! What the heck?” I swatted him away. Caught off guard, he tumbled over on to the floor. Emmett nudged towards me slightly.

“You alright, hun?” I nodded, wincing as my head throbbed with pain. Damn. I must have hit my head really hard.

“Oy, Emmett. Everyone’s awake.” Kiyomizu approached her from behind. She stood up, walking off with him. Yomihiro dusted himself off, sitting up.

“Wow. You hit pretty hard.”

“Oh, sorry! I… I didn’t mean to…” He was rubbing the side of his face, which had bruised a little. Wow, I didn’t realize I hit him that hard… I feel kinda bad.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse.” He stood up, helping me up as well. Emmett had gathered the battered students together in the center of the room and was addressing them as we approached. As soon as we stepped into the circle, however, she was cut off.

“Upupupupupu…”

It was that voice from earlier. The screen at the front of the room sprang to life, displaying the Hope’s Peak Academy logo. I’m certain the voice was coming from the screen, though.

“Tadaaaah! My remodel is complete!”

“Remodel? What the hell?” Nidanski roared. Agnelli placed a massive hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

“Who the hell are you?” I yelled at the screen. Someone else is just gonna toy with us some more? I’m really getting fed up with this.

“Oh?” The voice responded. “You don’t know?” A brief silence followed, as if it wasn’t sure what to say next. “Oh well, it doesn’t matter! You bastards will find out soon anyway!”

“What… the hell…” Amari was visibly shaking. With an audible crack, the door came off its hinges, falling to the ground with a thud. The screen let out a burst of static, and the image disappeared.

“What do we do now?” Kiyomizu fiddled with his hands, voicing the thought on all our minds.

“What else?” Yomihiro shrugged, heading for the door. “We go.” Without looking back, he passed through.

“Hey! Wait!” I took off after him and stepped through the door myself. Out the door, and into… sunlight? Ugh, it’s so bright… I put a hand up to shield my eyes as I try to examine my surroundings. Once my eyes adjust, I see…

 “An… amusement park?”


	4. Prologue: Hope’s Outpost - The End Of Despair? Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get our first glimpse of Monobear Land, and meet the bear himself!

I was outside, that much was for sure. What I saw around me could only be described as an amusement park. The ground around me was a white concrete, cut frequently by stripes of grey. On either side of this open area were a few small buildings decorated to look like old cottages. The grey concrete stripes formed into two paths off in the distance. To the left I saw a brightly colored carousel, with several odd-looking animals I couldn't recognize from this distance. There appeared to be more rides down that way. Off to the right I saw a few more buildings, all in a row. Briefly wondering what was in them, my attention was robbed by something much larger.

A massive fountain stood in the center of this open space, water billowing from many spouts and cups. The fountain itself was made of grey concrete, shining bright like silver. Something stood out, though. Five odd-looking figures decorated the fountain; four on the sides and one on the top. They were bears, of all things. Short, squat bears who were each frozen in some goofy pose. They were oddly colored, too. The left halves of these bears were pure white, and looked like your everyday cuddly teddy bear. The right halves, on the other hand, were pure black. The naturally docile mouth on the white halves were twisted into toothy snarls on the left halves. Plus, the eyes on the left halves were an equally sinister bright red.

Looking beyond the fountain, I saw another one of these bears. A giant bear head stood right where the road split into two paths. What was the purpose of this crazy thing? Oh, wait... It looks like there are doors in it. Right... there's one on the white side, and one on the black side. Wonder what they're for?

“What... is this place?” In my shock, I’d forgotten that Yomihiro was standing next to me. Everyone else was here, too, and they looked equally stunned. While everyone wandered about, trying to take in their surroundings, I took a moment to examine the door we just passed through. It was set in a massive brick wall spanning the whole length of the room we were in. At the top of the wall was a sign labeled with three words - THANKS FOR VISITING. Huh... I guess we really are in an amusement park. Suddenly, a metallic clatter catches me off guard as the wall was covered by a metal shutter.

“Waitwaitwait!” Amari charged the shutter shoulder-first. “Nooooo! Our way out!”

“Not much of a way out...” Takara scoffed.

“Um, what is that thing?” Hideaki pointed at the funky-looking bear standing on the top of the fountain. It simply stood there, arms crossed. He, Sonnen, and Kimura were examining the fountain from a safe distance; the first time I’d seen Sonnen leave Asahi’s side.

“Bear...” Sonnen answered him, her voice strained.

“That’s one freaky-looking bear.” Kimura added.

“My my... It’s not nice to call someone a freak, you know.”

“Who said that?!” Kimura jumped backwards, adopting a defensive stance. As the rest of us looked on, the bear on top of the fountain uncrossed its arms, and proceeded to leap in the air, somersaulting wildly before landing softly on the edge of the fountain facing us.

“You bastards are finally here! It’s about time. I thought I was gonna go into hibernation waiting!” The bear shook its paw at us.

“What the... hell... is this?” Asahi stammered, his composure shattered.

“That thing’s really talking?” Kanno forced a smile. “Man, this ain’t funny.”

“Alright, you...” Emmett said, pointing at the bear, “Just what the hell are you?”

“Who am I?” The bear put a stumpy paw to his mouth. “I’m Monobear! Your chaperone on this field trip of despair!”

"Chaperone? This toy... a chaperone?" Kiyomizu asked, scratching his chin.

“Whaaaat? Toy? I’m a bear!” Monobear pointed a paw at us, exposing sharp claws.

“It… talks?” Sonnen examined the bear in disbelief. “This doll… talks?”

“W-Why’s that so hard to believe?” The bear covered its mouth with its paws.

“Because you’re just a damn doll!” Kiyomizu raised his voice at Monobear.

"Now why would you say something so hurtful?" The bear whined, raising both paws into the air. "I may look mean on the outside, but inside I'm nothing but fluff, rawr!" Kiyomizu tensed up, bowing his head slightly.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Why're you apologizing?" Emmett yelled, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow!" Kiyomizu winced. "S-Sorry..."

"Anyways... before I let you bastards run free, we have to establish a few ground rules." Monobear said, lowering his paws. “First things first… from this point on, you all will live together inside the walls of my amusement park!”

“Ehh?” Miyamoto gasped, “Your amusement park?”

“W-What about the seminar camp?” Hideaki stammered. Poor kid was trembling.

"Upupupupu... That seminar camp crap was just too boring!" Monobear cackled, "No one wants to see you bastards palling around in the woods, so I spiced things up a little. You bastards should be thanking me!"

"Thanking you? For locking us in here?” Nidanski gritted her teeth, holding back her temper.

“Well, I didn’t do that.” Monobear tilted his head to the side. “I just thought I’d make things as exciting as possible!”

“You… didn’t?” I forced out, thoughts running together in my head.

“Of course not! But who cares how we got here?” Monobear snarled. “You bastards have to make the most of this situation! Because you’re in here forever!”

“F-F-F-F-FOREEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVEEEEEERRRRRR?!” Agnelli roared.

“Gyahahahaha… That’s right!” The bear grinned. “There’s no getting out, and no one’s coming to get you!”

“No… getting out…” I said to myself. The walls fencing this area in towered far above us, stretching as far as I could see. At the top I noticed a thick roll of barbed wire wound along the length of the walls.

“These walls are solid!” Monobear continued laughing. “No giants are gonna be breaking through anytime soon!”

“Eeeh? Giants?” Miyamoto shrieked.

“Bottom line is… you’re not going anywhere!” The bear beared his claws at us, still laughing.

“We can’t… leave… ever…” Emmett muttered, her eyes wide. The reality of the situation was starting to sink in. Monobear threw his paws into the air, bouncing slightly in place.

“So, sit back and enjoy your time here in Monobear Land!” He paused, putting a paw to his mouth. When he next spoke, his tone had changed. “Although… if you reeeeealy want to get out… there is a way…”

“Ah! There is?” Yanagi clapped her hands together, then flipped open her notebook, ready to write. “Tell us!”

“What’s the catch?” Yomihiro spoke up, glaring at Monobear.

“Oh? How perceptive!” The bear chuckled. “As expected from a Super High School Level Psychic!” Yomihiro winced, his expression darkening.

“Get on with it!” Nidanski roared.

“Okaaaay…” Monobear drew out his words. The bastard must be toying with us. Something tells me that I’m not gonna like what he has to say. I braced myself, trying to stem this growing feeling of unease in my stomach.

“Upupupupu… In order to get out of here… you have to kill one of your fellow students, and get away with it!”

“K-k-k-kill?” Hideaki was shaking even more now. If this keeps up, he’s gonna pass out.

“You gotta be shittin’ me…” Kanno was sputtering, trying to piece words together. “I-Is this some kind of j-joke?”

“Joke? Nope!” Monobear sounded triumphant. “Only a student who kills another and gets away with it will be allowed to leave the park! That’s all there is to it!”

The bear… was serious. A chill rushed up my spine into my head. I started to shiver, feeling a little lightheaded.

“Y-You’re for real, then… Kill someone?” Amari choked out. “What the hell, dude?”

“Killing people is killing people.” Monobear giggled. “People usually die when they’re killed, after all.”

“I get that, dude!” retorted Amari, “I just wanna know why! Why does it have to be this way!”

“Yeah!” Kiyomizu joined in. “Quit with the pranks!”

“Pranks?” Monobear’s voice went cold. “You’re really quite dense, you know. The fact is, you bastards are here for the long haul. Nothing you do can change that. So stop fighting this!” His words echoed into the silence.

“Goddammit! I’ve had enough of this shit!” Sprinting forward, Takara grabbed Monobear by the neck and threw him to the ground. Before he could react, she planted her heel directly into his forehead. “Stop bullshitting us and let us go!”

“Upupupupu… Are you sure you want to do this?” Monobear didn’t sound fazed by this outburst.

“W-What?” Takara let up a little, her resolve wavering.

“Students are forbidden from bringing harm to their chaperone…” The bear was far too calm for having a heel planted deep in his forehead. “And I have my ways of punishing wrongdoers…”

Punishing… hearing that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I can’t shake this feeling… something bad was about to happen. This feeling of dread had been building ever since we met the bear, and it was about to explode.

“Come forth, spears of Gungnir!” Monobear roared. Oh, no… it’s happening. He’s gonna kill her! I don’t want this… I don’t want this…

“NOOO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. There was a soft metallic thud and a flash. In the blink of an eye, several long spears buried themselves… in the ground, missing Takara by a matter of inches. She took her foot off of the bear, stumbling backwards.

“Oh, alright then.” Monobear stood up, brushing himself off. “I guess I can let her off with a warning.”

“Warning?” Emmett was shaking. “You tried to fucking kill her!”

“Well, she broke a rule. But I haven’t announced the rules yet, so I’ll forgive her…” The bear chuckled to himself as Emmett gritted her teeth, trying to keep her composure. “Although you only get one warning. I suggest you don’t try anything, Miss Emmett.”

“You- Ugh, goddammit…” Emmett slumped her shoulders, backing down.

“Now that I have you bastards’ attention…” Monobear raised a paw to address us. “Time to lay down the law!”

With a flourish, he produced a stack of cards out of nowhere. He leapt from his post, passing a card to each of us. I accepted mine without a word, staring at it blankly. It was larger than a playing card, and slightly thicker than a credit card. Weighing it in my hand, it felt surprisingly light. It appeared to be made of some sort of translucent blue plastic, and there was a dark blue stripe on the back like a credit card. There also seemed to be a small switch on one edge of the card.

“What on earth is this?” Asahi turned it over in his hand, trying to discern its purpose. Meanwhile, Amari had his tucked behind his ear. Nidanski was sniffing hers, and Agnelli held his up to his eyes, trying to see through it.

“This here’s your student pass, a necessity for anyone visiting Monobear Land!” Monobear had returned to his spot on the edge of the fountain. He still had one card left in his hand. “Not only does it identify you, but it grants you access to each attraction here at this fine park!”

“Identifies… But there’s nothing on it…” Kanno was trying to bend his in half, but it was solid.

“That’s because it’s electronic! Just flip a switch, and blammo!” Monobear thrust his paws in the air for added emphasis. “They’re electronic, and they identify them by your real name, so let’s call them… ElectroIDs!”

Very creative. Not.

"Don't even think about trying to destroy them! I don't know why you would, but in case someone DOES try... these things are waterproof and they can withstand over ten tons of pressure!" He tossed his card on the ground, jumping up and down on it repeatedly. "Oh, and the rules are on there also... you bastards better read up! We don't want another... accident... do we?" The bear looked over at Takara, who was still sitting where she had fallen, white as a sheet. She was practically in tears.

"Every good field trip needs a good set of rules, after all. We can't have people disturbing the peace here in Monobear Land, after all. Any rule breakers will be punished severely... I'll make sure I don't miss next time!" Monobear cackled. He pocketed the spare card, before raising a paw in one last salute.

"Oh, before I let you bastards go, you should know that the attractions won't be officially open until tomorrow morning. You should take this time to get settled in!"

"Now that you mention it, guys... What time is it?" Amari asked.

"Um... Hold on a sec..." Kiyomizu frantically dug through his pockets, finally coming up with a small pocket watch. "Here! It's... 10:00 pm?"

"How's that possible?" Kimura gasped. "It's still light out!"

"Oh, that?" Monobear shrugged. "I forgot to mention. There's a three-hour time difference! So actually, it's only 7:00 pm! Don't worry, it'll be dark soon!"

"Oh! Well that makes sense!" Kiyomizu chuckled. Seems like that was enough to convince him.

"Now that that's out of the way, it's time we declared the New Field Trip of Mutual Killing open! I’m expecting great things from you bastards!" With that, Monobear fell backwards into the water, disappearing from view. Once again, silence fell over our group.

“Um, guys?” Kanno was first to speak. “C-Can we talk about what just happened?”

“Did it even happen, or did I just imagine all that?” Amari  asked, fiddling with the sunglasses in his hair. “Right, right...I’m just gonna wake up any minute now…”

“All that about mutual killing… the bear was serious, wasn’t he?” Yanagi added, squeezing the life out of her notebook. Kimura, Asahi, and Sonnen were helping Takara to her feet. The girl hadn’t uttered a word since her close call, and she still looked like she was near tears.

“Why… Why is this happening!” The pressure of the situation was weighing hard on Hideaki. Finally, he put his head in his hands and started to cry. “What did we do to deserve this! This isn’t fair!” Emmett stepped towards him, embracing him.

“Now now... let it out, hun…” She patted him on the back gently, letting him cry on her shoulder. Our own worries felt insignificant. We just stood by and watched. After a few minutes, he had calmed down. Emmett offered him her handkerchief and stood up. She had a solemn look on her face.

“He’s right. It’s not fair.” She walked over and sat down on the edge of the fountain. “I don’t understand this either. But what choice do we have? We can’t deny what we’re seeing.”

“So, let’s go over the facts.” Emmett stood up, facing us. “This ‘Monobear’ brings us here, and tells us that we’ve got two choices. Either live in this crazy park forever, or kill another student to escape.”

“Kill another student… This is insane...” Miyamoto muttered.

“S-Surely none of us would…” Nidanski stammered.

“This can’t be TRUUUUUUUUE!” Agnelli’s melodic roar seemed a bit more strained than usual.

“It doesn’t matter.” Yomihiro spoke up. Emmett shot him a cold glare.

“What the hell are you saying?” She snapped.

“We should be more worried about whether or not someone takes this ‘mutual killing’ business seriously.” Yomihiro’s comment hit home. We all fell silent once again.

Mutual killing… If I hadn’t witnessed those spears firsthand, I might not have believed it. The thought of one of us killing was just disturbing. However, if the bear was willing to kill so easily, then who knows what else could happen?

We were trapped. Lost in a strange new world, with Monobear’s rules looming over our heads.

I’d fallen pretty far since that day I first passed through the gates of Hope’s Peak Academy.

For the first time in my life, I felt truly insignificant.

For the first time, I felt… despair.

\-----------

###  **Prologue: Hope’s Outpost - The End Of Despair?**

**END**

**STILL ALIVE: 15 STUDENTS**

 ------------


	5. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students deal with the aftermath of Monobear's announcement, and the first day at Monobear Land draws to a close.

Mutual killing…

It was a lot for me to handle. A few hours ago I was still stuck in the ordinary routine of my ordinary life. Now, my head felt like it had been bounced around in the dryer.

We had no idea what was in store for us inside the gates of this Monobear Land. All we had were the words of the insidious bear himself…

“In order to get out of here… you have to kill one of your fellow students, and get away with it!”

These words hung over us like a thick blanket, smothering us…

**Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days**

**START**

We milled about the area, unsure of what to do or say next. Finally, someone worked up the nerve to break the ice.

"So, what do we do now?" Yomihiro addressed us, although his gaze was fixed solely on Emmett. "We just gonna sit here and twiddle our thumbs?"

"Of course not." Emmett glared back at him, before turning to address the group. "We don’t want to stay here forever, and we don’t want to kill anyone, right?"

"That’s right!" Kiyomizu chimed in.

"What are you getting at, Emmett?" Asahi regarded her with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"It’s simple." Emmett’s smile had returned. "We take a third option."

"A third… option?" I repeated. She nodded.

"That’s right. We make sure no one dies. We also find our own way out of here. It’s that simple!"

"Sure sounds simple…" Kiyomizu muttered under his breath.

"Is it… even possible?" Takara stammered, her first words in quite some time.

"I’ll be honest. We won’t know until we try." Emmett shrugged. "But we still have to try. We just got here, after all."

"Duuude! You’re right!" Amari cheered, grinning. "We don’t even know what this place got goin’ on!"

"If this is what you intend, then we have to be careful." Asahi said.

"You’re right. We still have to worry about Monobear and his ‘mutual killing’." Emmett’s smile faded slightly.

"So the bear was serious after all…" Kimura sighed.

"We can’t take that chance." Emmett took a few steps away from us, before turning around and pointing our way. "There will be no killing while we’re here! While I still draw breath, I will not allow anyone else to die!"

"A bold statement." Asahi stifled a grin. "Your enthusiasm is contagious…"

"You got that right!" Kanno cheered. "I’m gettin’ pretty hyped!"

I don’t know if I’m excited per se, but at least Emmett succeeded in clearing up the air surrounding us.

"Um, Charise?" I spoke up, a thought popping into my head. "Shouldn’t we read the rules before we do anything else?"

"Oh… good idea." Her eyes widened. "Let’s boot these puppies up and see what they’re about!"

I looked at the card in my hand and flicked the switch I noticed earlier. Instantly the face of the card sprang to life. A goofy-looking logo appeared, complete with bubble letters spelling out ‘Monobear Land’. Wow… this thing is crazy sophisticated. I found myself a little mesmerized as a little Monobear jumped onto the screen and started dancing. Not quite sure what to do now. I tapped the logo and it disappeared, replaced by a screen with a few small icons. At the top of the screen I saw my name. All of the icons but one were unlabeled, so I went ahead and tapped ‘Rules’. Sure enough, the list of rules flashed across the screen one by one. After they finished, I tapped it again, trying to commit them to memory.

So, the rules of this crazy place were…

1) The students will live a communal lifestyle with no time limit inside the borders of Monobear Land.

2) While on park grounds, no violence shall be permitted against the chaperone and owner, Monobear. Destruction of surveillance equipment is forbidden.

3) The time between 10pm and 7am will be called “Night Time”. During Night Time, park attractions will be closed and some areas will be off-limits.

4) Sleeping will only be permitted in your own personal room in our own Monomono Hotel. Anyone intentionally falling asleep outside the hotel will be punished.

5) You may explore Monobear Land as you please. We reserve the right to add more rules for specific attractions at our discretion.

6) A student who kills a fellow student will be permitted to leave Monobear Land. However, they must first successfully conceal their crime.

7) We reserve the right to add additional rules at any time.

I wanted to read them over again, but my head was starting to spin. Looking up, I noticed everyone looked equally perplexed.

"The hell’s with these rules, dude?" Asahi grumbled. "What kind of amusement park has rules like these?"

"Nothing has been normal since we got here, you know…" Yomihiro scoffed.

"Ehh… what about that sixth rule?" Miyamoto asked. "It rings of strangeness…ness."

"Is that even a WOOOORD?" Agnelli roared in protest. Emmett cleared her throat, trying to take control of the conversation.

"You mean this ‘successfully conceal their crime’ business?" She asked.

"Such is the correctiveness of the situation." What? Um, I guess that means yes.

"Right, well… I don’t know what it means either." Emmett said. "There’s a simple solution - don’t kill anyone. If no one dies, then that rule is rendered moot."

"Setting that aside for now," Yomihiro spoke up, "What’s with this ‘Monomono Hotel’?"

"Tadaaaaash!" Monobear popped out of nowhere, landing softly in front of us.

"Kyah! Were you listening this whole time?" Kimura shrieked.

"Ohh… am I not wanted here?” The bear pouted. “Fine, I’ll just go back to my cave, rawr…”

"Got something to say? Just say it." Yomihiro said, unfazed.

"Oh, alright. If you insist.” Monobear perked up a little. “The Monomono Hotel is a premier five-star establishment located to the east…” He looked down the right path, past the row of buildings. “… and across the bridge.”

“Over there?” Asahi asked, following Monobear’s gaze.

“Right, right. I recommend you bastards go check in soon, before night falls. Geronimo!” With that, he did a backflip, disappearing from sight once more.

"At least… we have a decent place to stay…" Emmett whispered to herself, before addressing us. "Well then… shall we go investigate?"

We nodded our general assent, following her lead down the right path. Passing a few small buildings, we came upon a bridge just as Monobear had said. It was a simple structure of concrete with brick sides, and it passed over a wide, slow-moving river.

"Wow… I wonder how deep this is…" Kimura asked, leaning over the side of the bridge. I sidled up next to her, taking a peek myself. The water was clear, but I couldn’t see the bottom no matter how hard I looked.

"I don’t recommend trying to find out. I’m sure Monobear has some sort of trap lined up." Asahi said as he walked right by us.

“Fine…” Kimura shot him a dirty look while his back was turned. She turned to me and grinned wickedly. “C’mon, Akira, let’s go!”

Huh? We’re on a first-name basis? Sweet. Alright then, I guess I’ll follow her across. On the other side of the bridge we were greeted by a massive structure made of cement that looked like it was torn straight from a coliseum. For real… there were five massive arches, arranged in an arc. On either side of these arches stood the same fence we saw earlier, complete with the barbed wire cherry on top. In short, this part of the park was completely fenced off from us. There were bars in each of the openings to emphasize this, and on the top of the middle arch stood a sign. It kinda reminded me of the logo on my ElectroID, albeit a bit simpler. Sure enough, in multicolored letters, the sign read ‘Monobear Land’.

“Wow…” Kimura gasped. “This is… really…”

I quickly picked up on what she had noticed. Beyond the gateway, several attractions could be seen. Roller coasters, tilt-a-whirls… even a ferris wheel! Despite the situation, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Is this what we have to put up with? This might not be so bad after all… I certainly can’t see anyone killing someone in here.

“This is quite extraordinary…” Asahi said, his eyes wide.

“I didn’t think he’d go to this level of detail…” Emmett also looked quite surprised.

“AMUSEMENT PARK!” Kimura shrieked. She ran over to the bars on the gate and stared through. Wow, she’s acting like a two-year-old in a candy store…

“So this is what one looks like…” Nidanski’s arms were crossed and she was scowling, but she wasn’t fooling me. She sounded just as breathtaken as everyone else.

“I… always wanted to come to one of these!” I swear, Hideaki’s face was glowing with excitement.

“I hate to ruin everyone’s fun,” Yomihiro said, “But nothing’s open now. We should get going. It’s getting late.”

“Ugh. I guess you’re right.” Wait, why’s Takara disappointed?

W-Well, aside from that… I guess we should get going. There’s a small path to the right, following the fence off into the distance. Looks like we’re headed off that way. As we set out, I looked back to make sure everyone was following. For a brief second, I thought I saw a small path headed down towards the river. Oh well, guess I’ll look again tomorrow.

It didn’t take long for our destination to come into view. The hotel was a rather ordinary structure, about five stories tall. The only distinguishing features were a wide set of stairs leading to the entrance, and a massive sign rotating on the roof reading ‘Monomono Hotel’. So this is the ‘premier five-star establishment’ Monobear mentioned? Huh… we’ll see what it looks like inside.

Passing through the front doors, we were greeted by a large, expansive lobby. The carpet was a pure red, set against tan walls. There were a few small wooden tables scattered about the space, each surrounded by two or three comfy-looking red chairs. On the right wall, I saw a set of glass doors which were currently locked. Above the door, a small sign read ‘Souvenirs’. The front desk was an elegant fixture made of some sort of dark wood. From this distance, it appeared to shine in the light of the chandelier on the ceiling. To the left of the desk there was an elevator, and to the right there was a wooden door leading to a stairwell (The sign above it was a  dead giveaway). On the left wall, there were two sets of glass doors. Looking through them, I saw what several large, round tables surrounded by chairs. Was this some sort of restaurant?

“Must be.” Yomihiro said. I shivered; when did he sneak up behind me?

"Did you just read my mind?” I spun around to face him, tapping him lightly on the chest.

“Nope.” He shrugged, turning around and walking off. “You were just thinking aloud.” Oops.

I tried both of the restaurant doors, confirming they were locked. With nowhere else to go, I found myself wandering over to the elevator. I pressed the button to call it, but nothing happened.

“Yep. Lift ain’t workin’, hun.” Emmett walked up next to me, patting me on the shoulder. I jumped back a little.

“Sorry, hun… didn’t mean to startle you!” Her look of surprise quickly gave way to laughter. “Goodness sakes, you’re skittish!”

“Ah… um… sorry…” I stammered. Emmett clapped me on the back, grinning wildly.

“But you were so focused on that elevator, my goodness!” she chuckled,”I thought you might be tryin’ to will that lift to work!” Huh… maybe I was. But I should try to stop zoning out like this. I shook my head, turning to walk away, but Emmett’s tone suddenly turned serious.

“I wonder if this thing isn’t stopped on another floor?” she pondered, “It’s either that or it’s broken completely.”

“Either way, it looks like we’re taking the stairs.” I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head, prompting a laugh from Emmett.

“Good point!” She chuckled, patting me on the head before heading towards the front desk. I decided to follow her. There was a small crowd gathered there already. When I got close, I noticed a long black box sitting on top of the desk. The crowd seemed to be discussing what to do with it.

“Open it, of course.” Nidanski’s stern voice was the first I heard.

“B-But, what if it’s a bomb or something?” Amari looked quite pale.

“Imbecile!” Nidanski snapped back. “What kind of bomb would come in a box like this?”

While those two continued to argue, everyone else stood around regarding them with expressions ranging from boredom to disdain. Sonnen had slipped away from the group, sidling over to the desk. She reached her hand towards something small sitting on the desk and tapped it. The sharp ding of a bell rang through the lobby.

“Yahoo!” Monobear popped up from out of nowhere, planting himself atop the desk. “Welcome to Hotel Monomono, rawr!”

“Waaaah!” Amari tried to hide behind Nidanski, who promptly jabbed him in the gut with her elbow. “T-The bear popped out of nowhere!”

“Out of nowhere?” Monobear asked, touching a paw to his mouth. “You rang, didn’tcha?”

“Oh!” Sonnen gasped, taking a few steps back from the desk. Asahi put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“So you bastards are ready to check in, I take it?” Monobear stood up and sidled over to the box on the desk. “Well, come on then! I’ve prepared your room keys already!”

“Wait, that’s what was in there?” Amari was hunched over slightly. Nidanski’s elbow must have hit its mark.

“So, how is this going to work then?” Yomihiro addressed the bear, who proceeded to reach a paw towards the box and remove the top. Inside there were a row of keys with long, wooden tags attached to them. I stepped close to the box, trying to read the tags. Let’s see… looks like… names… and numbers? Room numbers, I assume. Let’s see… here’s a quick rundown of what I saw…

Agnelli        101

Kanno        102

Miyamoto   103

Amari         104

Mizuno       301

Nidanski     302

Kimura       303

Sonnen      304

Takara        401

Yanagi        402

Emmett       403

Hideaki       404

Yomihiro     501

Asahi          502

Kiyomizu     504

“Your rooms have already been prepared! Simply find your key and go!” Monobear tossed the top of the box behind the counter. I snatched my key quickly, stepping back as everyone else started to crowd around.

“You should know that there’s a laundry room downstairs.” Monobear addressed us while everyone sorted out the keys. “And… um… oh yeah! Breakfast will be served starting at 7am every morning!”

“Complimentary breakfast? Ooh…” Kimura cheered.

“That will be… most satisfactorially!” Miyamoto looked pretty enthused himself.

“Oh, right… The elevator’s out of order, so you bastards gotta take the stairs. Sorry.” Monobear sure didn’t sound very sorry. “Also, the second floor is off-limits. No students are permitted on that floor.”

“What’s the deal with that?” Kanno asked.

"Because I said so!” roared Monobear. “I can’t have you bastards running about, doing as you please!”

“Whoa… Okay, fine…” Kanno backed off in a hurry.

“While we’re asking questions here, why skip 503?” Yomihiro spoke up.

“Eh… I dunno.” Monobear was considerably calmer. “Just felt like it, I guess.”

Yomihiro shrugged; he didn’t seem convinced, but let it drop. We’re probably not gonna get any more out of the bear tonight.

“I think it’s about time you got settled in.” Monobear exclaimed. “It’s a big day tomorrow… the Grand Opening of Monobear Land! Upupupupu… Sleep well!”

With that, he leapt off the counter and disappeared from sight.

“W-Well… I guess we should pack in for the night…” Amari stuttered. With that, we made for the stairs. They weren’t anything special, looking rather plain, not unlike an emergency stairwell. There was a set leading down (likely to the basement) but we started the treck upwards. We quickly arrived at the first floor.

“Later, dudes…” Amari shrugged, opening the door to the first floor.

“Ehh… I shall now inspect the eptitude of these facilities!” Miyamoto tried to muster some enthusiasm.

“Heh… I always wanted to stay in a five-star suite…” Kanno quipped.

“Indeed… let us GOOOOO!” Agnelli roared.

With that, we left those four behind on the first floor and continued on our way. Sure enough, there was a door in the same place on the second floor. Even though Monobear said it was off-limits, I couldn’t help but try it.

“Drat. Locked.”

“What were you expecting?” Yomihiro scoffed. He stared at the door for a while, before bending down to inspect it himself. “Hmm… no sign of a lock…”

“Looks like Monobear means business…” Emmett commented.

“Ehh, guess so.” Yomihiro stood up and started up the stairs again. Before long, we were at the third floor.

“This is where I get off!” Kimura smiled. Sonnen looked reluctant to leave Asahi behind.

“Do not fear…” Nidanski said, approaching her. “I shall look after you!” Asahi looked Sonnen in the eyes and nodded. Slowly, Sonnen moved towards Nidanski.

“Goodnight…” She whispered, looking back at Asahi. He nodded back, and I thought I caught a hint of a smile from him.

“Sleep well, Mizuno.” Emmett waved. “We got some investigatin’ to do tomorrow!”

With that, the rest of our group continued up the stairs, leaving me behind. Yomihiro silently waved, before disappearing up the stairs with the rest of them.

“Mizuno. Are you coming?” Turning around, I saw Nidanski waiting for me in the doorway.

“Oh, yes. Sorry!” I followed her onto the third floor. The hallway was decorated similarly to the lobby downstairs. It ran straight ahead, before abruptly turning to the right. Stretching ahead of us were four rooms, equally spaced through the hall. I’m in 301, right… here we are. First one. Looking at my door, there was some sort of button mounted on the wall off to the right. The door itself was relatively plain, with only the door number and a nameplate with (a rather crude) picture of my face on it. Guess I can’t deny this is my room. Oh well. I tried my key on it, and it opened with a satisfying click. Before I could go in, though…

"Mizuno?” Nidanski called to me.

“Eh? What’s up?” I propped the door open with my leg.

“I already told Kimura and Sonnen, but…” She seemed nervous somehow. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

She had my back, huh… The fact that a Super High School Level Weightlifter was looking out for me made me feel kinda warm and fuzzy.

“Heh, thanks! I will!” I grinned. “Good night!”

“Sleep well, Mizuno.” Nidanski looked relieved. With that, I slipped into my room and closed the door.

Inside, the room was larger than I was expecting. It was deeper than it was wide, and reasonably furnished, to boot. The carpet was grey, and the walls were a deep crimson. A desk  and chair sat near the front of the room, complete with a few drawers. A quick investigation of the top drawer revealed a notepad and pen. Oddly enough, in the bottom drawer I found some sort of sewing kit, complete with needles and a spool of thread. Next to the desk sat a black mini-fridge, filled with bottles of water. I popped one open and took a swig. Ahh… nice and cold… I needed that.

Alright, moving on. Across the room from the desk was a small, round table complete with two wooden chairs. There was a light hanging from the ceiling; a quick search found the switch which controlled it. While I was looking, I noticed a security camera hanging in the corner. Come to think of it, I remember seeing a few of these around the park. So the bear’s watching us. Does he have to keep an eye on us in our rooms? That was kind of disturbing. There was also a small monitor mounted on the wall near the camera. I can only imagine what this was for. Shaking off this unease, I continued examining my room.

At the back of the room was the bed. It was decked out with a light green comforter and a brown frame. Wow, it was bigger than I expected… Is that a king size? Wow. There was a door near the back of the room leading to a shower room. Aaand that’s about it. Phew…

**Ding Dong! Ding Dong!**

The monitor on the wall let out a tone, before crackling to life. On there, I saw Monobear sitting in a comfy-looking chair. I couldn’t see enough of the background to place where he was. As I studied the monitor, the bear started speaking.

“Um, this is an announcement from the staff of Monobear Land… It is now 10pm. Night Time begins now. The park is officially closed! I recommend you lock your doors up at night… you never know what you might run into if you go out! Upupu… Good night, you bastards… Good night…”

With that, the monitor shut off. Ugh, that bear gives me the heebie-jeebies. To calm myself down, I got a running start and dove onto the bed. Whew, that’s softer than it looks. Rolling over onto my back, I just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

What a day. At this point, I’m long past the surprise and terror from earlier. I’m just… weary.

Our first day here in Monobear Land was filled with twists and turns, that’s for sure. I can only hope that Emmett is right. I can only hope that no one will die while we’re here.

This bed sure is comfy… As I lay here, the stress of my day wells up within me, slowly dissipating.

As I lay here, I find myself… drifting off… to… sleep…

—————

**Monobear Theatre**

**Upupupu… and so, the game begins again…**

**What’s with the setting, you ask?**

**Well, I had so much fun the last time I was in an amusement park, I wanted to try it out myself…**

**They hold a special place in my heart, that they do…**

**My mother took me to an amusement park when I was just a cub, you see…**

**I had a blast, yes, but I wasn’t allowed on any of the rides.**

**Because I was too young? Nope. It was because I’m a bear.**

**What were you expecting?**

**Upupupu… With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy your time in Monobear Land!**

**My amusement park of despair!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious to know what you think of the Monobear Theatre... I might add more of these as we go forward!


	6. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time, we spent our first night in Monobear Land… what will our first day of exploration bring?

I was alone. Lost in this now-familiar darkness.

Surrounded by light. The same light which always mocks me.

**Who are you? Who… am I?**

No, something’s different this time. I’m merely an observer in the darkness, watching something unfold within the light.

**I know who you are.**

Me? No, the voice wasn’t addressing me.

**Do you know who you are?**

…

**I’m not surprised. You’ve been someone else for far too long.**

I felt like I was peering through a window, into a world of light.

**It’s okay. I can see you for who you really are.**

Who? Who are you talking to? I feel like I’ve been pushed to the backburner.

**So, whenever you feel lost and directionless, I’ll accept you.**

I started to hear a buzzing noise, echoing in my head.

**I’ll be… your family…**

The buzzing grows louder. It’s starting to hurt.

**I’m… your family… now…**

It grows louder still. This is unbearable.

**So… let’s talk…**

I can’t… I can’t…

—————

**Ding Dong! Ding Dong!**

The alarm brought me tumbling back to reality, right out of my bed. Sure enough, Monobear stared back at me on the monitor in my room.

“Um, this is an announcement from the staff of Monobear Land… It’s 7am, the start of another fine day! Let’s do our best to enjoy ourselves today!”

Ugh… it’s hard to enjoy anything in my current state. I had fallen asleep on top of my bed, but I was still soaked with sweat. Now is as good a time as many to try out the shower, I suppose. The shower room was rather small, but still big enough for one. A quick look around uncovered a fair supply of soap, shampoo, various other toiletries, along with a few fluffy white towels, and oddly enough… a change of clothes. They seem to be my size… no, they are mine. How did- Damn. The bear’s doing, no doubt. I guess I should be thankful for the clean clothes.

After a long, hot shower, I made use of the clean clothes and sat back on my bed, mulling things over in my head. My headache had let up somewhat, but my mind was still fuzzy. I tried to make some sense of these dreams, but no matter how hard I thought, nothing came to mind. I don’t know, maybe-

Suddenly, I heard a loud pounding on my door, snapping me back to reality once more. Those dreams must just be my fears getting to me, I told myself. With that settled, I got up to see who was at the door. When I opened the door…

“What do you mean, I knocked too hard?” Nidanski was staring down Kimura, while Sonnen lingered off to the side. Noticing me, her eyes widened.

“Geez, you nearly knocked the door down!” Kimura retorted. Sonnen looked like she wanted to say something.

“Well, what if something had gone wrong? I had to get her attention!” Sonnen lightly tapped Nidanski on the shoulder. Finally, I decided to butt in.

“Um… hey?” Both Nidanski and Kimura spun around, noticing me for the first time.

“Oh, Akira!” Kimura grinned. “How are you?”

“Did you sleep well, Mizuno?” Nidanski added.

“Yeah, not too bad.” I didn’t want to worry them, so I kept my nightmare to myself.

“Akira… Good morning…” Sonnen said.

“Good morning!” I grinned at her. Surprisingly, she returned my smile.

“Well then, if you’re ready, shall we be going?” Nidanski stepped back, looking towards the end of the hallway. “The others are probably downstairs already.”

“Huh? Downstairs?” In my defense, I’m still a little groggy.

“For breakfast, of course!” Kimura giggled, taking off for the end of the hall. The word seemed to have triggered something in me, for it was then I realized… I’m really hungry. In no time flat we covered three stories of stairs and emerged into the lobby. Sure enough, the doors leading into the restaurant were wide open. When we passed through the doors, we were met with…

“Wooow… What a spread!” Kimura’s mouth was wide open, and she appeared to be drooling.

It’s no wonder. Three of the tables in the restaurant were piled high with food. Various fruits on one, biscuits and pastries on one, and a pile of scrumptious-looking meats on the third. Looks like everyone’s here already… Damn, that food looks good…

Pardon me, I’m a little hungry…

—————

About fifteen minutes later, the piles of food had gotten quite a bit smaller. We didn’t really question where the food came from. On one hand, Monobear had told us that breakfast would be served here every morning. On the other hand, we were all quite hungry. None of us had eaten since we got here. I was sipping a cup of coffee that Emmett had made for us, watching everyone in satisfied silence. After a while, Emmett set her mug down, standing up.

“Now that we’re all alive an’ awake again, we should put our heads together and see where we’re at.” Slowly, people perked up as Emmett addressed us. “First of all, I noticed something odd last night. For some reason, the lift doesn’t go to the fourth floor.”

“That’s right…” Hideaki spoke up. “There were only four rooms and the stairs…”

“Come to think of it, the elevator doesn’t appear to go to our floor either.” Nidanski added. It doesn’t? I guess I was too tired to notice last night.

“Same here.” Kiyomizu said, sagging his shoulders. “We gotta walk up five flights of stairs every night now…”

“Oh, you poor soul.” Asahi scoffed.Emmett looked towards Kanno, Miyamoto, and Amari, who were sitting together.

“How about you guys?” She asked.

“Ehh? Eh-” Miyamoto started coughing. Seems he was choking on a piece of pastry. Ignoring this, Emmett expanded her question.

“Any sign of the lift on the first floor?”

“N-No… I think?” Amari scratched the back of his head.

“Elevator’s not only out of order, it’s out of sight and out of mind!” Kanno chuckled.

“I… take that as a no.” Emmett smiled awkwardly, trying to move the conversation forward. “So, the question now is… where does the elevator go?”

“Down, maybe?” Yanagi offered.

“It’s possible. Has anyone been down there yet?”

“I have. There is indeed an elevator!” Agnelli said, stifling his usual melodic roar.

“I see.” Emmett nodded. “Still, it’s odd that the elevator only goes from the ground floor to the basement…”

“What about the second floor?” Yomihiro asked.

“What about it?” Emmett fired back, before a lightbulb went on in her head. “Oh… I suppose we won’t know for sure if the lift goes there until we can get the lift working again.”

“Well then, we don’t have much else to talk about, do we?” Yomihiro stretched, standing up. Emmett scowled at him.

“I guess not.” She crossed her arms. “Well, we should get to exploring the park then.”

With that, everyone roused themselves from their chairs.

“Get used to your surroundings. At the same time, keep your eyes open for anything we might be able to make use of to get out of here, k?”

“What should we do if we find something?” Takara seemed to have recovered from yesterday quite well.

“Let’s see…” Emmett paused, thinking. “I think I saw a place that looked like a restaurant yesterday. Let’s meet up there… say, sometime this afternoon?” Takara nodded in approval and everyone started to file out of the restaurant. Soon, only Emmett and I were left. She was gathering up a few cups left behind on the tables.

“How ‘bout you, Mizuno? Heading out?” She stopped for a second to ask me. I haven’t actually decided where to go first. In the meantime…

“I think I’ll stick around and give you a hand.” She thought it over for a minute, before breaking into a grin.

“Thanks!” She clapped me on the back and got back to cleaning up. Together, we gathered up the leftover dishes and hauled them back to the kitchen. It was a relatively small kitchen with basic kitchen equipment; stove, oven, sink, fridge, and cabinets. Emmett and I quickly washed the dishes and returned them to the cabinets. Opening a few other cabinets revealed a decent collection of spices, and a few bags of snacks.

“This place is pretty well stocked…” I thought aloud. Emmett nodded.

“Got that right. But this kitchen ain’t big enough to put out all that food this mornin’…”

"Really? How can you tell?” I guess that makes sense. This kitchen is rather small.

 “Trust me, dearie… My momma ran a soul food restaurant back in the day. I know a thing or two about food!” Emmett smirked, staying focused on her work.

 “Soul… food?”

 “Yeah, soul food! Fried chicken, collard greens, okra? Grits?” I shook my head. “Goodness, girl… you don’t know what you’ve been missing!” Wow… I’ve never seen Emmett so excited.

 “Tell you what, Mizuno. Once we’re out of here…” Emmett continued, drying off the last plate and putting it back in the cabinet. She looks… happy. It’s startling, really. “Once we get out of here, I’ll make you some real soul food! Just you wait… I’ll knock your socks off!”

 “A-Alright!” I nearly lost my socks from her enthusiasm alone.

 With the dishes cleared, we slipped out of the restaurant and back into the lobby.

 “Where ya headed now?” She asked. Still not sure, but I gotta start somewhere.

 “Well… I think I’ll check out the laundry room downstairs.”

 “Alrighty then.” She looked disappointed, but smiled nonetheless. “See ya at the restaurant, then. Let’s say… 2pm?” I nodded. She made her way out of the hotel, leaving me behind. Finally, I turned and headed for the stairs.

 The basement was cool and damp. Grey concrete walls made the place feel rather depressing. The hallway split quickly, leading to two different rooms - one much larger than the other. I kept going straight down the hall. The open room there had a row of large white appliances lined up against the far wall - washing machines… and dryers. This must be the laundry room. A row of simple wood benches faced the machines, with a few baskets sitting haphazardly on them. On the opposite side of the room stood a massive metal tank, resembling a stove. A mass of pipes lined the wall behind it, running every which way. There was a lid of some sort on top of the tank, so I doubt it’s a stove… There’s also two fairly large buttons mounted on the wall next to it. What is this thing?

A loud clanging rang out from the other side of the room. Looking over, I saw Yomihiro with his head in some sort of metal hole in the wall. He popped his head out, sidling over towards me.

“Oh! What the heck were you doing?”

“Nice to see you too, Mizuno.” He shrugged, brushing some dirt off his head. “And that appears to be a laundry chute of sorts.” He pointed with his thumb at the hole in the wall. Looking at it now, it seemed to curve upwards.

“Well, that makes sense. Wait, laundry? What’s there to clean?” Yomihiro looked at me, tilting his head to the side.

“You mean you didn’t get a spare change of clothes in your room?” He asked. “From what I can tell, everyone got one.”

“Oh, right, I did.” Well this was kinda embarrassing. I kinda wanna change the subject. “So what-”

“That’s an incinerator.” Yomihiro took the words right out of my mouth.

“An incinerator?” He nodded.

“Perfectly suited for burning trash. That button on top opens the lid, and that button on the bottom fires the incinerator.”

“How do you know all of this, anyway?” I asked.

“Oh, that? Monobear told me.” He shrugged. “I walked up to the thing, and the bear popped out of nowhere and started yelling at me.”

“Oh, I see…”

“By the way, look over there.” He pointed towards the wall where I came in. Sure enough, there was a set of elevator doors.

“So it does come down here…” I walked over and pushed the call button. No response.

“Yep, tried that already. No luck.” He sighed, tapping the button a few more times for emphasis. “Looks like Super High School Level Good Luck didn’t help, either…” Heh, I guess not. Not like I placed much faith in my ‘talent’ to begin with. Now that I think of it, there was something I wanted to ask…

“Hey, Yomihiro? There’s something bugging me.”

“What’s on your mind?” He shrugged, appearing indifferent.

“I’m just curious… Does it bother you when people call you a Super High School Level Psychic?” As expected, his expression darkened. It had happened twice before, after all: Once back in the classroom, and once after we met Monobear. Yomihiro studied me silently.

“Don’t worry about it.” He finally said, heading for the door. I couldn’t say a word. Must have hit a serious nerve. Alone in the laundry room, I filed this away in my mind and decided to leave.

The smaller of the two rooms in the basement was separated from the hall by a screen door. Passing through the creaky old door, I saw a mess of gym equipment. Benches, dumbbells, and… um… a mess of other gym stuff. I don’t know what most of this stuff is, but it looks powerful. Oh, there’s a treadmill in the corner! As I tried to make sense of the rest of this equipment, I took notice of someone on one of the benches.

“Nidanski?” Noticing me, she muscled the bar she was benching back onto the rack and sat up. Wow… sure looks like a lot of weight on that bar…

“Mizuno! What brings you down here?” She asked, wiping her brow with a small towel.

“Oh, just wandering… what’re you doing here?”

“I was wandering myself, honestly.” She started to add a few small plates to the bar. “Then I found this place. It’s quite well equipped, you see.”

“Clearly.”

“I just wanted to test the equipment, but then… I wound up doing a full workout.” How the heck- Well, more importantly…

“How much weight is on there, anyway?” I had to ask.

“Oh? Only 110 kilos.”

“ONLY? Holy cow…” That’s… That’s just crazy…

“This is just a warmup, Mizuno.” Nidanski shrugged. “I hope to max out at 130 before the day’s out!”

“I… um… wow…” Never touched a weight in my life. To see this going on in front of me was… intimidating. “I’m gonna keep exploring. Have fun!” With that, I slipped out of the gym.

It’s about time I went to see what’s going on outside. I left the hotel behind and didn’t look back. The air was crisp and refreshing as I jogged down the long path from the hotel. The Monobear Land sign was lit up when I passed by the arched gate. However, the bars were still there. The gate was firmly shut.

“Damn, guess we aren’t getting in there…” I said to no one in particular.

“You got that right!” Monobear popped out behind me, waving his paws. I yelped, spinning around to face him. “Unfortunately, I had to keep some parts of the park closed off…”

“How come?”

“Well, I could make an exception for you, Akira-chan…” The bear muttered. “All you’d need to do is kill somebody!”

“W-What? Hell no!” Why the hell does he have to bring this up again?

“Oh, aaaalright…  I guess I’ll keep this gate closed, then…” Monobear disappeared with a sudden pop. Did he just try to guilt-trip me into killing someone? Ugh. Shaking my head, I crossed the bridge. I wonder where everyone else got to?

“AKIRAAAAAAAA!” A now-familiar melodic roar greeted me as I was heading towards the fountain. Turning to my right, I saw Agnelli towering in the doorway of a relatively small building I hadn’t noticed before. Well, it wasn’t much of a doorway… the whole section of building was completely open, and appeared to be set into the building a few feet. Behind Agnelli I could clearly make out a few rows of bright yellow lockers and benches. I waved, starting over towards him. As I got closer, I noticed two doorways set into each side of the building’s indent.

“Say, what’s in there?” I asked Agnelli, pointing with my thumb at one of the doors. Just then, Yanagi popped out of the left door, and Hideaki out of the right.

“Find anything, Hiddy?” Yanagi asked. Hideaki shook his head. Yanagi turned to face me, casually writing in her notebook. “Welp, behind those doors are completely ordinary, run-of-the mill bathrooms.” Oh.

“And this…” I pointed at the lockers. “…is some sort of locker room?”

“Indeed.” Agnelli nodded. “They are all open, yet empty. I checked each one PERSOOONAAALY!”

“Yeesh…” Yanagi winced slightly. “Tone it down a notch, man.”

“Um, anyway…” Hideaki spoke up, looking into the locker room. “There is something interesting back there.”

“Oh, right!” Yanagi perked up, flipping her notepad closed. “Hey, Akira, get a load of this!” She led me down a row of lockers to the back wall, where there was a small door.

“What is this, some kind of closet?” I asked her.

“Just go in! Go in!” Go in? Alright then… I grabbed the closet door and opened it. Oh, wow… it was much bigger on the inside. In one corner sat a collection of mops and brooms. Next to that was a metal rack loaded with bottles of what I thought could be cleaning solution. There were a few buckets and things lying around, and on the far wall I spotted a water spigot and hose. Just about everything we could possibly need to do some cleaning. After a minute I notice another door, tucked next to one of the metal racks.

“So what’s through that door?” I asked Yanagi, who had followed me into the storage room and was pacing around. Suddenly the door burst open.

“The OUTSIIIIIIIIDE!” Agnelli roared as he stepped confidently into the room. Huh. I’m starting to get used to his random bouts of song.

“Anything interesting out there?”

“Actually…” Hideaki stepped through the open door, picking his way past Agnelli. “There’s some sort of shed out here. But we can’t get in. There’s some sort of card reader on the door.”

“Oho… I see you bastards have found the gardening shed!” Monobear leapt through the door, sliding into the wall. He quickly picked himself up and brushed himself off.

“Bloody hell… where do you keep coming from!” I blurted out. Agnelli I can deal with, but this damn bear still gets me. Probably because it seems so bloody impossible…

“Upupupupu… It’s my park, dear Akira! I can appear anywhere I want!” Monobear cackled. Didn’t really answer the question, but… what the hell. Just let it happen, Akira. “Now then, back to business. The garden shed only opens for the member of the class designated as class gardener!”

“Class gardener? What the crap?” Yanagi blinked a few times, not quite processing what was said.

“W-What is there to garden, anyway?” Hideaki asked.

“As a bear, I’m rather partial to my flowers!” Monobear started. “I need one of you bastards to take care of the flowers in the park!”

“Why can you not do it?” Agnelli’s question was surprisingly subdued.

“You see…” Monobear looked down, as if he was embarrassed. “While I am a most virile and agile bear, there are some things even I can’t do… And we don’t have a Super High School Level Gardener around to help, so…”

“R-Really…” I swear, this stupid bear could pass for a Super High School Level Guilt Tripper…

“Don’t worry!” Monobear perked up. “Whoever chooses to become the gardener will be compensated!” Great. What’s the catch?

“Um… I’ll do it.” Hideaki spoke up. Wait, don’t agree with this so easily!

“Excellent! Then it’s settled!” cheered Monobear, “You now have access to the garden shed!”

“What is this COOOOMPENSAAAAATION you speak of?” Agnelli roared.

“Oh, that’s right.” Monobear paused for a second, putting a paw to his mouth. “I haven’t had the talk with you yet, have I?”

“W-Wait…” Hideaki protested, blushing. “The… talk?”

“Thaaaat’s right! I was too busy waiting for Super High School Level Slacker Akira, here!” Monobear cackled, raising a paw in the air. “Now that I got the last of you here together, allow me to activate a new function on your ElectroIDs!”

The bear brought his paw down in front of him in dramatic fashion. Nothing happened. No, wait… a few seconds later, my ElectroID buzzed in my pocket. Judging from everyone else’s reactions, theirs were doing the same. I pulled mine out and booted it up. A new icon was showing on the screen. It was… a coin?

“Tadaaaah! Now you can track your balance of Monobear coins!” The bear roared.

“Monobear coins?” Yanagi asked, squeezing the life out of her notepad.

“The only currency accepted at Monobear Land, of course!” Our perplexed expressions prompted him to continue. “Our stores and rides are open for you to utilize, however they will cost you Monobear Coins. So, to get your lives in this park started properly, I have given you each five hundred coins!”

Our ElectroIDs let out a sharp ‘ching’ sound. Tapping the balance button on mine, a number popped up on the screen - five hundred.

"You must be wondering… how do you get more Monobear Coins? To help stimulate the Monobear Land economy, I have to give some coins back to you bastards!"

"Well? Tell us!" Yanagi had recovered from her early shock and was feverishly taking notes.

"I… your glorious leader and trip chaperone… have decided to reward you for the chores you do around the park!" Suddenly, Monobear pointed at me. "Akira and Emmett helped clear the dishes this morning, so both of them get 20 coins for their trouble!" Sure enough, my ID chinged again, and my balance was now 520.

“And class gardener Hideaki will be rewarded for his efforts as well!” Monobear cackled. “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of chances for you bastards to earn more Monobear Coins. Keep your eyes peeled!” With that, he vanished.

Yanagi slowly pocketed her notebook. Hideaki glanced from person to person, trying and failing to work up the nerve to speak. Even the boisterous Agnelli was silent.

“I guess… there isn’t much left to see here, is there?” I broke the silence in the room. After a few silent glances between us, we agreed to part ways and continue investigating.

I left through the locker room back door and out onto soft grass. A few feet away I spotted the garden shed. Hideaki had one of the doors open and was investigating inside. I didn’t want to bug him, so I tried to take stock of what was inside from a distance. Let’s see… I could see a wheelbarrow, a rake, and a few bags… probably of garden stuff, like seeds and soil. Behind me, I saw a few rows of flowers lining the cement pathway, and leading to the giant Monobear face with the doors. The area behind the doors was fenced off, but I could just barely see what was there. Rows and rows of seats, leading down to a stage. An open-air theatre? There was a small structure connected to the back of the stage. This must be some sort of backstage storage? I dunno. Maybe I’ll try going in there. For now, I made my way off the grass and back onto the cement. The row of cottage-like buildings from yesterday were open and lit up. Looks like I’ll be investigating those next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, next time we’ll see what souvenirs are for sale…
> 
> Once we finish exploring, then we can start free-time events. I’m thinking I can fit two in this day. What if… you guys gave me two names, and I’ll write their first free-time events first? Everyone’s gonna have 5, like SDR2, and at the end of a chapter, I’ll put up the remaining events for any characters who died. So, pick two names, and I’ll take the two favorites and do that. Sound good?


	7. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira further explores Monobear Land, and she gets a chance to get to know more of her classmates in the process...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took much longer than intended, sorry for that.

I decided to explore the nearby buildings. The first two buildings in line were so close, they appeared to be connected. On second thought, they must be connected - a sign spanned both buildings, reading ‘Monowear Outlets’. That bear sure thinks he’s cheeky, huh. I stepped through the left entrance to have a look around.

Not surprisingly, I found clothing inside. Racks and racks of clothing. The walls were a pale, washed out pink. While looking at a particularly horrible shirt with some sort of pink Monobear ripoff on it, I noticed that the right wall was open, leading to the other building. I leafed through a few more racks of horrendously-colored t-shirts and jeans, before deciding to try the other side. The right half of the store had pure, almost sickeningly white walls, marked with a few cartoonish Monobear sketches here and there. Were they drawn by a child? I browse through a few more racks of clothing before noticing Asahi and Sonnen in the back right corner of the store. They seemed to be examining one shirt in particular. Working my way over to them, I tried to see what they were looking at.

“Mizuno? Fancy meeting you here.” Asahi noticed me, taking a step back.

“Hello… Akira…” Sonnen whispered. I could now see the shirt they were looking at. This particular one had a picture of Monobear stepping on that pink Monobear thing… Who the hell designed these things?

“Find anything interesting in here?” I asked them. Asahi shrugged.

“My goodness…” He scoffed, arms crossed. “All the clothing in here is so… tacky.”

He picked up a gaudy-looking pink jacket, and held it up to the light, grimacing. On the back of the jacket was a vaguely familiar pink cartoon character. He twirled it around in his hands. Sonnen tilted her head to the side, examining the catlike figure.

“My god, Monobear has a hideous taste for clothing.” Asahi scrunched up his nose, eyeing a few similar designs in the shop. “What are these crude animal drawings, anyway?”

“Huh? They’re cartoon characters!” I said. Asahi looked confused. Honestly, who can’t recognize cartoon characters? These are the kinds of things I grew up with! “You didn’t watch cartoons growing up?”

“My father forbade it. Said I should be focused more on my studies, and my training.” He shook his head. Wow… I didn’t know it was possible for someone to be that sheltered.

“That’s terrible…” Sonnen whispered. Asahi fiddled with the jacket in his hand, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing.

“I suppose… I got by, though.” He placed the jacket back on the rack.

“But, cartoons are a vital part of one’s childhood!” I protested. “You can’t just not watch cartoons!”

“I… I see…” Asahi looked uncomfortable. “Um, did you watch cartoons growing up, Sonnen?”

“Mhm.” She nodded, smiling faintly. “I like… to draw them, too…”

“Ooh… can we see?” I asked. Her eyes widened, and she grinned. She flipped open her sketchbook, showing us a few pages of delicately detailed cartoon animals drawn there. I-I’m in heaven here… these are amazing!

“Impressive…” Asahi murmured. Sonnen’s smile grew wider. “It seems I still have a lot to learn.”

Asahi examined a few more shirts, his earlier disdain gone. He picked up one in particular - blue, with some sort of cat face on it.

“C-Cute…” Sonnen whispered. Asahi paused, lowering the shirt. He didn’t put it back, though. Instead, he wandered towards the back of the store where an archaic cash register sat on a small counter. The register - heck, it felt like that register predated electricity! Now that I look at it, something stood out. There was a black card reader on the side of the register; the very same I’d seen on the garden shed door. Ahh, I see what he’s up to. I’ll give him a nudge in the right direction.

“So, is this how you buy stuff?” I asked, pointing at the card reader. To be fair, I was legitimately curious. Asahi was hovering near the register, looking uncomfortable. Hearing me, he relaxed a little.

“Shall we find out?” In one motion, Asahi pulled out his ID and swiped it through the reader. His ID let out a now-familiar ‘ching’ sound, and some text appeared on it. “Transaction completed, it says… That’s all?”

“Seems to be.” I shrugged. With that, Asahi handed the shirt to Sonnen.

“C-can I really?” She gasped, blushing fiercely. Asahi nodded. “Th-thank you!”

“Don’t mention it…” He was starting to blush as well.

“Tadaaaaah!” A familiar voice rang out through the store. One of the clothes racks nearby began to rattle. “Oh… ow… oh crap, I missed…”

“What the hell?” I blurted out. Sure enough, Monobear popped out of one of the clothes racks, brushing himself off.

“I’m here to explain to you bastards…” He froze suddenly, looking from Asahi to Sonnen and back. “Oh? I’m too late… you’ve already figured it out…”

“Huh? Figured out what?” I asked.

“How to make purchases… I had a grand speech planned and everything, rawr…” Monobear pouted. “I guess I’ll just go now…” The bear turned back towards the rack he had popped out of.

“I guess I could tell you about the two new rules…” The bear said. “But you’ve probably already figured them out, too.” With that, he leapt into the rack of clothes, disappearing.

After that, we went our separate ways. Asahi and Sonnen left together, Sonnen holding onto her new shirt tightly. After seeing them off, I decided to check out the new rules that the bear supposedly added. A quick check of my ID revealed…

8) All rides and shops in Monobear Land will cost you Monobear Coins. Swipe your ID through the authorized card reader to conduct the proper exchange.

9) You can earn more Monobear Coins by performing tasks for the overall benefit of Monobear Land.

10) Any student caught stealing from one of the stores will be executed. Shoplifting will not be tolerated in Monobear Land!

Nothing too surprising, I suppose. We’ve heard all these from Monobear before. Still, the wording of 9 is kind of odd. I guess it’s referring to chores and stuff? Oh well, don’t steal and we won’t have any problems. With that in mind, I pocketed my ID, continuing on my way.

The next building was smaller than either half of the Monobear Outlets, with large glass windows adorning its front. As I got closer, I could see rows of pastries staring back at me through the windows. This must be a bakery then. I opened the door and stepped inside. Immediately I was greeted by the most pleasant aroma of warm bread. Three long glass cases lined the walls of this small space. The one to the right was filled with loaves of bread, and the case to the left was packed full of donuts, pastries and cupcakes. The case at the back was much smaller, and appeared to be filled with rows upon rows of fudge. Standing there with both hands planted firmly on the fudge case was Risa Kimura.

“Akira, look! Look!” She sprinted towards me, her face glowing with excitement. Before I could even think, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back of the store. “Look at all these goodies!”

“Ah… uh… Wow…” I was still a little flustered from her pure enthusiasm.

“Oooh…” Kimura was practically drooling. “I could eat all of this up…”

“T-That might not be a good idea…”

“Ugh, you’re right.” She grimaced. “Eating all of this at once would give me one hell of a stomach ache.” Wait, that’s what she’s worried about?

“I’m sure this stuff really isn’t that healthy…” I had to talk some sense into her. “Besides, I think you’d have to pay for anything you eat.”

“Oh, that’s right. Monobear Coins.” She paused, thinking something over. Finally her grin returned. “In that case, I’ll just have one of everything!”

“No, don’t do that!” I found myself blurting out. My goodness… there’s no stopping her, is there? Just when I thought she was going to break down the case, she backed off.

“Ugh, I hate this stupid diet.” she said.

“Wait, you’re on a diet?” I asked. Kimura nodded.

“I have a fast metabolism, but my coach still has me on a performance diet.” She stuck her tongue out, making a silly face. “I don’t get to eat anything fun anymore…” Huh… Sounds childish, but I guess it’s something she had to give up to be successful.

“That must be a strict diet…”

“Well, I guess it wasn’t that bad.” She shrugged. “I just hate being told what I can or can’t eat.” I can relate to that, although I don’t have near the responsibilities that she does. That being said, though…

“Maybe you could get away with just one?” My suggestion quickly brought the smile back to her face. We wound up splitting a massive bear claw, and I must say… it was bloody delicious. After that, I managed to convince Kimura to leave the bakery behind, albeit begrudgingly. I should get back to my exploration.

The next building in line was significantly larger than the others. I didn’t have to go far to find it; this building sat nearly perpendicular to the bakery. At the far end of the side visible to me was a large sign hanging from the side of the building read ‘Crooked Smiles Cafe’ in big bold letters. I wonder… Is this the restaurant that Emmett was talking about? I suppose I could pop in and say hi, have a look around…

“Ehh… Miss Akari…” Miyamoto passed by, catching my attention. “Most pleasurative to see you here.” I nodded to him politely. Sure, he’s a bit weird, but he hasn’t given me a reason to dislike him so far. He was holding an open can of soda in one hand.

“Hey, where’d you get that?” I asked.

“Down there, simply put.” Miyamoto looked back at a small building on the opposite side of the cafe. It seemed kinda lonely, as if the buildings around it were giving it space. There was no sign on the poor tiny building. “A simple concessions shop.”

A… what? Oh, he must mean it sells junk food.

“So, you’re exploring on your own?”

“Indeed.” He nodded. “I find myself most able to concentrate on things when I am, in fact, alone.” He grinned, puffing his chest out. Was he trying to convince me, or himself? We only met a day ago, so if he wants to be alone, then I won’t impose.

I waved farewell to Miyamoto, watching him shuffle off towards the bakery. May as well have a quick look at that shop he just came out of. Sure enough, there were a few coolers with beverages of various colors against one wall. There was also a fair assortment of sugary and salty junk food for sale; everything a high-school kid needs to get through an all-nighter. That’s about it, though. But really… why would a shop like this be in an amusement park? And next to a restaurant nonetheless?

…No wonder the shop looked so lonely.

I decided to leave the poor snack shack behind and continue on my way.

——

‘THANKS FOR VISITING’

I found myself back at the entrance. Sure enough, the metal shutters were still firmly in place. There was something haphazardly scrawled on the shutters in black spray paint.

‘NO ESCAPE’

Alongside this was a rather crude Monobear face, grinning back at me. Yeah, I get it, Monobear. We’re not going anywhere any time soon. I don’t need you rubbing it in.

“Mizuno! Hello!” Kiyomizu was waving at me from the entrance to the store on my left. A sign over the store entrance read ‘Bear Essentials’. I couldn’t really get a handle on what was inside from here. There were a few stands of odds and ends inside, with boxes and cups and other things I couldn’t quite identify.

“Hey!” I waved back, starting towards him. “What’s going on in here?”

“Here?” He shrugged. “Just your run-of-the-mill souvenir shop, honestly.”

I stepped inside the store for a quick look. It was much larger on the inside than I was expecting. Several round stands scattered through the inside were packed full of keychains and mugs and other gaudy-looking trinkets. On the left wall sat a collection of Monobear Land stationery, including a stack of notepads like the one I found in my room. The entire back wall of the store was packed tightly with stuffed animals, all of which looked surprisingly… tame. Even though most everything having the Monobear Land logo on it, this souvenir shop seemed completely normal.

“I… see…”

“You look disappointed, pal.” Kiyomizu chuckled.

“Um, more… let down, I suppose.”

“Hah… I hear that.” He crossed his arms. “With everything that’s happened so far, I was expecting the stuffed animals to come to life or something.”

Normally, I’d think that’s crazy, but… You know what, it’s still crazy. But then again, this whole situation is, too.

“Hey, careful with that, dude!” The shout was followed by a loud clanging from the right side of the store. Amari and Kanno were huddled in the corner, fiddling with something on a stack of boxes. Kanno was holding some sort of thick metal object, waving it around.

“Relax! It’s just a prop, anyway!” With a flourish, Kanno tugged on the silver object. Part of it fell away, revealing a wide blade. Amari sprung backwards, nearly falling over.

“Whoa, dude! Watch where you’re pointing that thing!” In response, Kanno struck a pose, chuckling.

“That’s not a knife!” Kanno said in some goofy accent. “Now, that’s a knife!” What a child.

“Careful with that, Kanno.” Kiyomizu didn’t look fazed. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Huh? But this isn’t a real-” Kanno put his finger to the edge of the knife. He quickly pulled it back, yelping. “Yeowch! This thing’s real!” He stuck the knife back on the shelf it came from, backing away.

“Dude, the hell’s with that? They actually got, like… real, sharp knives in here?” Amari was shaking. Kiyomizu clucked his tongue and sighed.

“I guess the bear really wants us to use them, huh…” he said. Kanno’s goofy smile had returned.

“Well, that makes sense. Guess I should consider where we are, huh…” Kanno said. Suddenly he clapped his hands together. “I’m totally getting one when we get out of here, though!”

“How much does that thing cost?” I asked. I couldn’t help but wonder. We are in a store, after all. I stepped over to the shelf and took a look at the knife. Wow… this thing feels really expensive. The blade was smooth and pearly-white; I could almost see my reflection in it. The handle was black, with small grooves carved into it. Despite this, it still felt comfortable to hold. The case it came in was really more of a metal tube; silver, with intricate designs carved all over it. One thing’s for sure, it looked expensive.

“600 Monobear coins? That’s ridiculous!” Kanno yelped. He was examining a tag on the shelf where the knife had come from. I guess that’s expensive. I’m not familiar with the Monobear Coin - Yen exchange rate. Heck, I haven’t really looked at that any other prices since I got here.

“All the more reason to forget about it, I suppose.” Kiyomizu said, patting Kanno on the shoulder. “The bear’s just trying to tempt us.”

“Got that right, dude.” Amari shook his head. “Not cool.”

“It’s just a knife, guys.” I find myself venting. “It’s only a threat to us if we make it one.” Amari and Kanno fell silent, gaping at me.

“If we’re gonna freak out over every little thing, then we’re never gonna last.” I continued. “So, if we just stick together, then we’ll make it out of here alive!” Silence fell; the three boys stared at me.

“You know what?” Kanno clapped his hands together, breaking the silence. “Let’s go on some rides!”

“R-Really?” Amari asked, raising an eyebrow. Kanno nodded.

“What better way to keep our spirits up?” With that, Kanno bounded out of the store. It’s hard to tell if he’s actually taking this seriously or if he just wants to clown around.

“Wait for me, dude!” Amari stormed off after Kanno. So Kanno’s the troublemaker and Amari’s his lackey, huh… They make an interesting pair, those two.

“Perhaps we should join them.” Kiyomizu said. He was fiddling with something in his hand, but quickly slipped it back in his pocket.

“Why?”

“Can’t hurt to try and unwind, now can it?” He shrugged. I guess he’s right. Besides, I haven’t been over there yet. Kiyomizu paused, looking oddly serious.

“Now then, it’s time for me to conduct a full investigation of each and every ride in this park.” He turned to leave the store, moving deliberately. Once he was a fair distance away, he waved, running off after the others. I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. After the dust he kicked up had died down, I decided to take my leave as well.

Across the way from this shop stood another building, nearly identical in size and shape to this shop. With nowhere else to be, I decided to have a quick look around.

The first thing to catch my eye inside the store was a large Monobear manikin laying on its side right in the middle of the store. Eww… the bear was wearing a shell bikini. As a centerpiece of the store, the whole thing was really quite unflattering. To my right I saw a massive wall of surfboards. In front of this brightly-colored wall, there were a collection of gear; snorkels, flippers, fins, among other things. The rest of the store was filled with racks upon racks of… swimsuits? Oh, this must be a surf shop. There’s a row full of wet suits… oh, and swimsuits of all shapes and sizes. And at the back of the store there was a massive collection of towels. Thick, fluffy looking towels… I couldn’t stay away. I made my way to the back of the store and grabbed the first towel I could find. Back there, I noticed Takara examining a few swimsuits nearby. She picked up a particularly skimpy one, grimacing.

“Hey, Takara!” I waved. She didn’t look thrilled.

“Hey?” She quickly stashed the swimsuit in the rack. “I hope you’re not under the impression that we’re friends.”

Well, that was cold.

“Um… that was a rather flashy swimsuit you were looking at earlier!”

“What?” Takara blushed, trying to hide her surprise. “Y-You saw that?” I nodded.

“I think that one would look good on you, Takara!” Sure enough, she blushed an even deeper red.

“You little shit… What right do you have…” She was sputtering. Finally, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in anything this shop sells…”

“Oh… I bet you’re more used to fancier clothes, being an actress and all.”

“I’m no fashionista, that’s for sure.” Takara sighed. “In fact, I really couldn’t give a damn about fashion standards or whatever. I wear what I like.”

“That’s… really admirable.”

“It is?” She looked legitimately surprised. “It’s just how I’ve always been. I don’t have time to care what people think about me.”

“But still, that’s admirable. It can’t be easy, doing what you do.”

“Seriously, what the hell’s with you?” Takara’s expression twists into a disgusted snarl. “I don’t need your damn pity…” But, I wasn’t trying to…

With that, she turned and started to leave. I spotted an especially skimpy swimsuit on the rack, and couldn’t resist messing with her one last time. Grabbing it, I ran after her.

"Heeey, Takara!” I yelled, waving the swimsuit up high. “How about this one?”

From a distance I could see her blush bright red. She clenched her fists together, and for a second I thought she might come after me. However, she promptly spun around, running out of the store, muttering under her breath.

…Okay, that was kinda mean. Takara may be a bit harsh on the outside, but… she’s kinda cute when she gets flustered. I couldn’t help myself, sorry!

Well, I don’t really have a need for a swimsuit, so I’ll leave for now. I’ve seen just about everything there is to see so far - except the rides, that is. So, I headed towards the massive fountain and took the left path, heading towards the carousel.

While everything in this park seemed bizarre and twisted in some sort of way, the carousel looked like it was ripped straight from a normal amusement park. A light brown top ringed with red, the carousel housed rows of normal-looking animals. It had a relatively short fence surrounding it. I quickly spotted a gate with a black card reader attached to it. So that’s how you ride? Cool…

Looking past the carousel, I noticed for the first time a multitude of other rides in this area. There wasn’t anything particularly large - was this a kid’s park or something? More importantly, I could hear the river running nearby. There were two bridges spanning it; one to the right of the carousel, and one to the left. Oddly enough, the end of each bridge was barred off. More barricades? What the hell…

Before I could ponder this any further, the carousel sprang to life…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part will cover the last of the park investigation. After that, then we’ll have some free-time events before the day’s out. So far, the suggestions for the first two FTEs are Miyamoto, Kanno, Emmett, and Yanagi. Any other suggestions will be welcomed.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I’d love to know how these characters are coming across to you so far! Any thoughts?


	8. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated! Today, Akira explores the rest of Monobear Land open to her at the moment... Afterwards, Emmett calls a meeting, and the first motive is introduced!

With a loud grinding noise, the carousel came to life and started moving. Cheerful music began to play as the various animals started the journey around in a circle. As they finished their first rotation, a rather odd sight came into view.

"Woohoooooo!"

Kanno was riding on a proud-looking lion, both arms sticking up in the air. He looked so utterly… childish; I couldn’t help but laugh. Behind him, Amari was clinging to a unicorn, looking mortified.

Wait, what? The carousel wasn’t moving that fast… What the hell was he so scared of?

Behind them, Kiyomizu was sitting on a giraffe, trying to look dignified. The whole scene was just too much for me… I couldn’t help it anymore. Watching these three going around in circles, I broke down into a fit of giggling.

After a minute or two, the carousel slowed to a stop, and the three boys got off. They were laughing and clapping each other on the back like this was just a normal vacation. Those boys have sure hit it off, huh. Honestly, it was like they’ve known each other for years. I was almost a little jealous - almost. In the end, they’re just a bunch of simple-minded dorks. Looking over, Kanno headed towards me, flanked by Amari and Kiyomizu.

“Hey.” I waved, still chuckling. “Having fun?”

“You betcha!” Kanno grinned. He turned to the two guys behind him. “Say, what should we do now?”

“I dunno, dude.” Amari shrugged. “We’ve seen everything here.”

“Everything?” I cut into the conversation. “What’s all here?”

“It’s mostly kiddie rides.” Kiyomizu shrugged.

“But we’ll take what we can get!” Kanno said. Now they’re finishing each other’s sentences, too? Suddenly, I heard a loud whirring noise from off to the right. I saw my chance and I took it, running off to investigate and leaving these bumbling fools behind.

Down the road to the right, a very curious ride had sprung into motion. It was one of those rocket ship rides; eight two-seater rocket ships were arranged in a circle, and the whole setup spun in a circle, tilting side to side occasionally. The ships were pure black, with Monobear faces on the front. And… well, what do we have here? In one of the ships was the odd couple of Nidanski and Kimura. Nidanski’s eyes were wide and she was looking rather pale. Kimura, on the other hand, had her hands up; she looked like she was having a blast. A rather striking contrast. Once again I found myself sticking around and watching them. After a minute or so, the ride slowed to a stop, and they disembarked; Kimura leapt out, full of life, while Nidanski stumbled out, looking rather unsteady on her feet.

“Are you alright?” My question was directed more towards Nidanski than Kimura. Nidanski nodded curtly, before shuffling off back towards the entrance.

“Wow, is she ok?” Kimura looked concerned.

“Probably.” I said. “Looks like she’s just got a fit of motion sickness.” But honestly, that was just a kiddie ride! What’ll happen if she gets on something bigger, like a roller coaster?

“Well… I should go check on her.” She flashed me a nervous grin and waved, before scampering away. “Sorry, Akira!”

And now I’m alone again. On one hand, it’s finally quiet. On the other hand, it’s… so quiet. Oh well, guess I’ll see what else is here. Don’t really feel like riding anything, though. Across the path from the rocket ride was a large, round tower with a top that faintly resembled a massive hat. A bunch of chairs were hanging off of the sombrero, suspended by wires. Oh, this must be one of those swing rides. The hat spins, and the chairs go flying around in a circle… yeah, I never really was a fan of them. It wasn’t the spinning that got me, it was the frailty of the wires. I never really felt comfortable being held up by them. The chairs hung limply in the air, swaying slightly in the breeze. I counted about… fifteen of them. None of them were occupied, though.

Sitting to the right of the swing ride was another ride I recognized instantly. Several large teacups sat on a flat metal base. The cups were white, with bits of black, and looked to be big enough to fit about four people. Six of these cups were arranged in a circle around the base, which was a deep crimson. At the center of the base stood a massive black and white teapot. The teacups spin in place while rotating around the Monoteapot, moving faster and faster the longer it went on.

Past the second bridge, a curious structure caught my eye. It was clearly a roller coaster of some sort. There was a small covered area for boarding; a few cars sat on a track there, waiting for riders. The cars themselves were pink and white, with bunny ears. The tracks climbed up, circling a large, menacing Monobear statue a few times before returning to the station. A sign near the coaster read ‘Minimi Scamper’. Despite the theme, it actually looked fun. I kinda wanted to try this one out. However, I really didn’t want to get on alone. I looked to my left and to my right… yep, no one there.

“It’s a kiddie ride, after all…” I told myself. After staring longingly at the ride for a minute or two, I gave up and went on my way.

There was a commotion coming from a structure off to the right of the roller coaster, so I decided to check it out. The structure was roofed; the sides were open, although they appeared to be fenced off. A few people were gathered outside… ah, I see. Kanno, Amari, and Kiyomizu again… Seems like they’ve recruited Hideaki into their fold as well. This doesn’t bode well for him. Let’s see what these fools are up to.

“C’mon, dude!”

“Yeah, the more people we have, the more fun it’ll be!” Kanno said, backing up Amari. It seems they were trying to persuade Hideaki to join them in some pursuit.

“B-But, I really don’t want-”

“Aw, c’mon!” Kanno clapped Hideaki on the back, causing him to jump. “It’ll be fun, I promise!” I snuck up behind Kanno, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Alright, what’re you trying to make him do?” Kanno tensed up, holding his breath. Amari looked nervous, however Kiyomizu was calm. He was laughing, as a matter of fact.

“Bumper cars.” He said. “We’re trying to recruit more people to make it more fun!”

Bumper cars? Now that I look at this building, I noticed a bunch of small cars parked in a corner of the floor. Each one had a wire leading to the ceiling. The floor inside was flat and smooth; yep, this is definitely a bumper car ride. Satisfied, I turned back to the group to find everyone staring at me.

“Hey, Akira… You’re going with us, right?” Kanno grinned wickedly. Hideaki looked back and forth between me and him nervously.

“Yeah, c’mon dude!” Amari joined in. “It’ll be fun!”

How did I get roped into this? Oh well, there’s no use arguing with them. A little fun wouldn’t hurt.

“Alright, I’m in.” I sighed.

“Great! Let’s go!” Kanno clapped his hands, bolting for the entrance to the bumper cars. Amari and Kiyomizu followed suit. Hideaki yelped when Amari grabbed him by the hand and started dragging him along. I brought up the rear.

“I d-didn’t even want t-to do this…” Hideaki said. I swiped my ID in the black card reader and the gate swung open.

“Looks like they’re not taking no for an answer.” I patted him on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. “Besides, you might actually have fun!”

“I g-guess it couldn’t hurt…” He swiped his ElectroID, and followed me inside.

As soon as we were all inside, a few lights came on, and the room sprung to life, emitting a soft hum. The first chords of a rock song blared out from a loudspeaker as we scattered, finding ourselves a ride. I decided on a green car. It was a simple thing, with a steering wheel and two clear pedals. The car was also quite small; I squeezed in and buckled the seat belt. Testing the pedals, I couldn’t help but wonder who was controlling the rides. It must be-

A buzzer rang out across the floor, and the cars sprang to life. The game was on. Since my foot was on the pedal at the time, my car shot forward, catching me off guard. After regaining control, I paused to catch my breath.

WHAM! Something rammed into me from the side, jarring me.

“I’m soooooorry!” Hideaki wailed, looking terrified. He tried to back his car off, but couldn’t quite grasp it. The result was Hideaki bumping into the side of my car for a minute or two while apologizing profusely. Once he finally dislodged himself, I went on my way, trying to hold back my laughter. Nearby, Kanno and Amari were ramming each other, and Kiyomizu was circling them, biding his time. Hideaki moved slowly towards them, trying to keep his distance. There wasn’t much distance to be kept, but he clearly wanted to avoid conflict. Out of nowhere, Kiyomizu struck! Hideaki yelped in surprise. Suddenly, I felt a rush of malicious intent. I spun my car around, aiming it at the tennis star like a ballistic missile.

“Here I gooooo!”

Letting out a battle cry, I charged towards him. He put his hands up in an attempt to brace himself, but it wouldn’t help. We collided with a solid thud. Our eyes met, and after a brief silence he started to laugh. Good, seems like he’s getting into the spirit of things. Cackling maniacally, I backed up and sped off, only to be sideswiped by Kiyomizu. He looked at me and waved, a goofy smile on his face. On the opposite side of the small arena, Kanno and Amari were ramming into each other head-first, like angry goats. As I was watching them go at it, I felt something ram into my car from the other side.

“Haha! Gotcha!” Damn, I created a monster. Hideaki had backed up and charged straight for me while I was distracted. That little bugger… I’ll get him for this! …Or so I thought, because right at that moment a buzzer rang out, and everything went quiet. Our fun was over, it seemed.

We went back into the park, talking amongst ourselves. Sure, it may have been childish of us, but hey… we’re all smiling and laughing now. Amari and Kanno looked like they were gonna start wrestling right then and there, while Kiyomizu desperately tried to keep them apart. Hideaki and I just watched the scene from a distance.

“You know, that was actually really fun!” He said, grinning.

“Told ya!” I winked. We looked over at the others. Huh… now they’re playing rock-paper-scissors. Energetically. Ugh, I’m getting tired just watching them.

"Hey! There you are!" Kimura was waving at us from over by the fountain. Our eyes met and she grinned, jogging over to us. Kanno waved back at her, but she passed right by him, stopping in front of Hideaki and me. "I’ve been looking for you!"

“Oh? What’s up?” I asked. Hideaki tilted his head to the side, curious.

“Emmett wants to get everyone together for a meeting in the restaurant.” She looked around, noticing the others for the first time. “Oh, what were you guys doing?”

“W-We were riding the bumper cars.” Hideaki’s usual nervousness had returned.

“Really?” Her eyes widened. “Why didn’t you invite me?”

“Ah, well…” I stammered, looking over at Kanno and friends. “We were kinda dragged into this suddenly ourselves…”

“You’re welcome to join us next time!” Kanno said. Kimura didn’t even turn around to acknowledge him.

“It’s settled, then.” She clapped her hands. “We’re all gonna ride the bumper cars together one of these days!”

“S-Sure!” I laughed nervously. I know she means well, but energetic people like her make me uncomfortable sometimes. Satisfied, she turned and jogged off the way she came. As we all watched her leave, she stopped and turned to us.

“Oh, don’t forget. Come to the restaurant. Quickly! Emmett’s getting impatient!”

With that, she ran off, leaving us behind. Kiyomizu and Amari were looking confused, although Kiyomizu hid it better. Kanno was looking rather dour, his arms crossed.

“What’s wrong, dude?” Amari took notice of Kanno’s mood. However he just shrugged, walking away.

“Okay, that was odd.” I said aloud, breaking the silence that had fallen. Amari and Hideaki nodded their agreement, but Kiyomizu was staring off into the distance. Finally, he grinned.

“Ah, well. He’ll be fine.” Kiyomizu grinned. “We should be getting back then. Emmett’s scary when she’s angry.”

——-

We hurried over to the Crooked Smiles Cafe, the meeting place set by Emmett. Passing through the front door, we found ourselves in a small waiting area, complete with a few benches. Another seat of glass doors took us further in.

“Wow… it’s so… dark.” Amari said, stating the obvious.

"Shady, even." Kiyomizu added.

He’s right about one thing - this place sure had a shady feel to it. The interior was dimly lit; dark purple walls and carpets added to the atmosphere. Red booths lined the walls, surrounding several round tables. At the back of the restaurant stood a long, wooden structure similar to the hotel’s front desk. Rows upon rows of bottles stood on a shelf behind it, and several stools sat in front of it. Scattered throughout the restaurant floor were many small tables for two or three, covered in red tablecloths. Oddly enough, there was a large television monitor mounted on the wall to my left. I approached it almost instinctively when someone called out to me.

“Don’t bother, hun. That thing’s broken.”

I turned around to see Emmett behind me. She was looking rather cross, but when our eyes met she smiled.

“Not exactly.” Yomihiro said, walking up behind me. I turned around to see him with a cheesy grin on his face. Emmett scowled at him. A dark cloud seemed to settle over the area between them, smothering me. I just walked into an argument, didn’t I…

"Okay, okay… We can’t find a way to turn that thing on…" Emmett rolled her eyes. "So it’s as good as broken to us."

“It’s probably just one of Monobear’s toys, like the cameras and the monitors in our rooms.” Yomihiro’s smile strained a little. Fortunately, before anything else could be said a loud clinking sound rang out across the room.

“Ahem. Can we get down to business, please?” Asahi was tapping a glass with a spoon. He was standing by a collection of tables pushed together in the center of the dining room. Looks like… right, everyone else is already here, sitting around this makeshift meeting table.

"Alright, alright…" With a nod and a smile, Emmett headed over to the others. Yomihiro made to follow her, but I stopped him.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"That? Whatever do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Emmett looked like she wanted to strangle you! What were you arguing about?"

"Oh, you see… I may have implied that Emmett was being arrogant and selfish, appointing herself leader…" He shrugged.

"What the… Why would you say something like that?" It’s no wonder she looked angry.

"Out of curiosity, really." His expression was blank, disturbingly so. "Just testing her limits."

I couldn’t come up with a suitable reply, so I walked away.

Shaken and confused, I took a seat at the table between Nidanski and Agnelli. There’s a bit of subdued chatter, but it dies down as Yomihiro approaches and takes a seat. A few students glared at him as he took his seat, his face blank as ever. Once everybody was seated around the table, Emmett stood up and cleared her throat.

“Good. Now that we’re all together, and cooperative…” She glared at Yomihiro, who shrugged in response. “Let’s begin.”

“Ehh… but whatever are we surmised to be beginning?” Miyamoto asked.

“We’ve all had a chance to explore this place, right?” Emmett responded. “Let’s put our heads together and see where we’re at.” Miyamoto’s face lit up with understanding.

“So… the main gate is very firmly shut.” Yanagi flipped through her notepad, reading from her notes. “Chances of forcing open: slim.”

“A-and those walls… they’re solid concrete!” Hideaki stammered.

“Indeed!” Agnelli added. “There are no WEEEEEAKNESSEEEEES!”

“Dude, did you see the barbed wire on top of the walls?” Amari scratched his chin, a tense grin on his face. “There’s no way we’re getting over those walls any time soon…”

“That’s troubling…” Emmett said, her hand on her forehead. “What about the river?”

“Oh, right!” Kimura sprung up, her face glowing. After a moment of thought, her expression sank. “Um, it doesn’t really lead anywhere. At one end, the water just kinda disappears into the ground through a few small holes.”

“What about the other end, when the river comes into the park?” Emmett asked.

“Well… kind of the same thing. It just kinda flows in through a few small holes in the wall.”

“Sounds like a dead end.” Kanno said quietly, earning him a sharp glare from Emmett.

“I suppose you’re right.” Emmett sighed, crossing her arms. She paced back and forth a few steps before finally speaking up. “Well then, how about basic needs?”

“It appears that everything we could possibly need is being provided for us.” Nidanski said. “Food, water, shelter…”

“And anything else we need, we can buy with those ‘Monobear Coins’.” Takara cut in.

"What about those areas blocked off from us?" Asahi asked, changing the subject.

"Oh…" Sonnen spoke up, her voice quiet as usual. "There’s three… of them… right?"

"Right." Asahi nodded. "They’re all fenced off from us, save for the gates."

"And they do not OOOOOPEN?" Agnelli roared.

"Hm, now there’s a thought." Emmett raised her voice slightly, trying to regain control of the discussion. "How can we get those gates open?"

"Wait…" I spoke up, thoughts flooding into my head. Just as quickly I held my tongue. Earlier, Monobear did tell me one way he’d open the gate, but… it might not be a good idea to bring it up here

"Akira?" Emmett asked. All eyes were now on me. "You alright, hun?"

"Um… yeah."

“You were sayin’?” Kiyomizu asked, looking concerned.

“N-Never mind.” I sank down into my chair, regretting ever opening my mouth. After a brief pause, the discussion picked up again without me.

“So, now what?” Asahi asked.

“Let’s take stock of our leads.” Emmett said. “We need to find a way through the gates. Besides that, the only other place we haven’t explored yet is the second floor of the hotel, right?”

“Yep.” Yomihiro finally spoke up, leaning back in his chair. “Makes you wonder what’s hiding in there, huh?”

There were a few murmurs of agreement. Yomihiro slid his chair back and stood up.

“So that’s where I’ll be.” He sighed, turning to leave. Emmett scowled at him, but soon relented.

“Do what you will.”

Just then, the room was filled with the sound of static. The television monitor on the wall was lit up, displaying nothing but grey.

"-ello? Hel… Can y… hear me?" The voice coming through the monitor was distorted and barely audible. As we looked on in surprise, a picture slowly began to take shape. A familiar face came into view.

"You’re that teacher… Morita, right?" Yomihiro’s face was pale. The static cleared up long enough for me to get a clear glimpse of the man on the monitor. Sure enough, it was Morita, the teacher I had met on my first day. His hair was a mess, and he was looking panicked.

"Good. You’re all alright." His voice was coming through a bit clearer now. "I’ve been trying to make contact since yesterday."

"Tell us… What the hell is going on here?" Asahi slammed his fist into the table for emphasis.

"This system is set up to monitor you remotely during the seminar camp." Morita answered. His eyes were darting back and forth nervously. "Soon after our introductions… something hijacked the connection."

"Connection? Hijacked?" Kanno was struggling to keep up.

"Are you perhaps speaking about this Monobear?" Nidanski asked. The color drained from Morita’s face in an instant.

"Did you just say Monobear?" He asked, his voice strained. "This is worse than I thought…"

"Wait, you’ve heard of him?" Emmett roared. "Tell us, what is he? How can we get out of here?"

"We aren’t in a position to get you out of there right now, so I’ll tell you what I can."

"Wait, what?" Takara snarled. "Why the hell not?"

"Things are… difficult… right now." Morita was struggling to find the right words. "We haven’t forgotten about you. We will come for you. So, please… just listen."

Emmett glared at us, trying to regain control of the crowd. Once things calmed down, Morita continued.

"This place is completely closed off from the outside world. As it stands now, I can’t find a way for you to get out of there."

"S-So we’re stuck h-h-here?" Hideaki stammered.

"Unfortunately. Try and live out the days in peace. In the meantime, we will do everything we can to get you out of there."

“You’d damn well better…” Takara was shaking with anger. “We never asked to be a part of this shit!”

“I… am sorry.” Morita fell silent, bowing his head.

“So, Mr. Morita…” Emmett spoke up. “What do you know about this Monobear, anyway?”

“Oh, right!” Morita snapped to attention. “You see, Monobear is-” A burst of static cut off his reply. The picture started to break up as well.

“Shit, not again…” grumbled Emmett. Through the picture distortion, I could see Morita’s mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear him at all. Gritting his teeth, he started typing away on the keyboard in front of him, but the static continued.

“Pl-…sta-…-live…” I could only make out bits of words through the static. Finally, the picture cut out, and silence fell over the room. Mr. Morita was gone.

“So… Now what?” Yomihiro posed a question. None of us could come up with a suitable response, so we stayed quiet. No one wanted to be the one to break the silence. I looked here and there, silently begging someone to speak up. After a few minutes, Emmett took the initiative.

“Here’s what I think…” she started. “I think we can trust Morita… for now.”

“Are you kidding me?” Takara shouted. “That Morita prick got us into this mess to begin with! How can we trust him?”

“I concur.” Asahi nodded. “We were all pulled into this… camp… or whatever it has become against our will. We have no reason to trust him.”

“B-But, he seems like he r-really wants to help us!” Hideaki said, his hands clasped together.

“Fool!” Nidanski raised her voice, causing Hideaki to recoil in shock. “It matters not what he does from here out. It’s his fault we are here!”

“Hey, lay off him!” Kanno turned on Nidanski.

“There’s no room for naivety in this situation!” Nidanski fired back.

“Dudes, is there really a point to blaming anyone right now?” Amari tried to get between the two. Wait, did he just say something insightful? Kanno and Nidanski simply gaped at each other, lost for words.

“Well said.” Kiyomizu clapped his hands, grinning.

“Agreed. Now is not the time for assigning blame.” Emmett said. “Even though Morita got us into this mess, the fact remains that we’re here now. Somehow, Monobear hijacked his experiment, and he’s trying to get us out of here. So we have no other choice but to trust him.”

“You know…” Yomihiro started. “There is the possibility that this was Morita’s plan all along.”

“What are you talking about?” Yanagi asked, leaning towards him, notepad at the ready.

“A seminar camp, designed to deepen our bonds…” Yomihiro recited in a mocking tone. “What better way to do that then force us to live together under this threat of danger.”

“That… sounds ridiculous…” Kimura muttered

“But you can’t deny it, can you?” Yomihiro retorted. “Let’s face it… Monobear is nothing but Morita’s puppet!”

“Oh, I’m no puppet, Mr. Psychic…” A familiar cackle echoed through the room. The monitor clicked on again, showing a close-up of Monobear’s face. “Now that I took care of that pest, we can get down to business!”

With that, Monobear popped up out of nowhere and landed on the table. I nearly fell out of my chair in surprise. The intrusion caught everyone else off-guard as well.

"What is the meaning of THIIIIIIIIS?" Agnelli roared.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Emmett asked, glaring at the bear on the table.

"Oh… Here, there, everywhere…" The bear grinned. "But enough of that. Listen up, bastards!"

Monobear started to pace back and forth on the tables we had pushed together. Everyone slid their chairs back a few inches, keeping their distance.

"So, you bastards want to know how to open the gates? I hate to break it to you, but that’s not gonna happen!"

"W-What? Why?" I blurted out. After all this talk, he’s just gonna shut us down like this? Besides, he told me-

"I already told Mizuno the only way I’d open them…" Monobear spoke slowly, in a tone dripping with sarcasm. "Isn’t that right?"

"Akira, is this true?" Emmett asked.

"Really? Tell us! Tell us!" Kimura pleaded, her eyes shining with excitement. Once again, all eyes were on me.

"It’s… Well, it’s… just that…" Dammit. I can’t say it. It’s not right. It’s not fair. Sensing my hesitation, Monobear jumped in.

"Do you bastards really want me to open those gates?"

"INDEEEEEED!" roared Agnelli. He was joined by several others nodding their assent.

"That would certainly be helpful…" Yomihiro said quietly to himself.

"In that case, I’ll tell you myself!" Monobear paused for emphasis before continuing. "The only way I’ll open the gates to the rest of the park… is if a murder is committed."

“Tch… This again…” For the first time since we met, Emmett looked afraid. She wasn’t the only one, that’s for sure.

“T-This isn’t fair…” Hideaki muttered, trembling.

“Yeah, dude! Why do you keep goin’ on about this ‘murder’ crap?” Amari yelled.

“Upupupupu… Don’t forget… this is a field trip of mutual killing! It would be pointless if there wasn’t any killing!”

Monobear flipped backwards, landing on one foot and posing delicately. After his little display was over, he continued talking.

“Since you bastards want those gates open so badly, I’ve decided to do something special… to help… motivate you guys!”

“M-Motivate…?” My voice was dry and raspy.

“That’s right! Starting tomorrow evening, we’ll be showing movies in the theatre!” Monobear’s red eye glowed slightly. “Upupupupu… Very special movies…”

“What… sort of movies?” Kanno asked. If it’s Monobear’s idea, then this can’t be good.

“This is a very special presentation… an ongoing series, in fact!” Monobear raised a paw in the air. “I call it ‘This Is Your Life!’. Each night, we’ll take an in-depth look at one of you bastards!”

“One of us?” Yanagi had her notebook open, but had long since dropped her pencil on the floor.

“That’s right! And these movies hold back NOTHING!” the bear snarled. “All your deepest, darkest secrets… on the silver screen for all to see!”

“Y-You’re joking…” Asahi was looking rather pale.

“Not a chance!” Monobear fired back. “And don’t worry, everyone will get their time in the spotlight! The movies will continue… that is, until someone is murdered!”

That word again… dammit. This time, it’s starting to sink in. The pressure in this room is intense. Monobear leapt off of the table, landing softly a short distance away.

“Now then… only one thing left to decide! Which of you bastards shall be first? Any volunteers?”

No one dared speak up. Monobear wasn’t phased, though.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already decided! Tomorrow night, the subject of the first ever ‘This Is Your Life!’ movie special will be… Miss Akira Mizuno!”

Wait a second… me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part we'll finally start with free-time events. There will be two before this (in-story) day is done. I've already picked the subjects of those FTE's, but the next day will be mainly focused on FTE's as well (I'm thinking four). Anyone in particular you want to see a FTE for?


	9. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of Monobear's motive announcement, as well as two free-time events!

"M-Me? Why?"

“Why not?” Monobear chuckled. “I guess your good luck isn’t so good after all, eh?”

I couldn’t respond. His cold eyes stared directly into mine.

“What sort of secrets does the Super High School Level Good Luck have to hide?” His voice sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. “Maybe she’s secretly dying so she’s selling drugs to support her family… Maybe she’s secretly a serial killer… We’ll find out tomorrow!”

With that, Monobear vanished. I just stared at the spot where Monobear was just standing, trying to make sense of everything. The rest of the students were chattering amongst themselves, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. It all rang dull in my ears.

The meeting ended peacefully, from what I can recall. There was some sort of discussion, but after that everyone simply left, one after the other. A few of them offered words of encouragement, but they were lost on me.

The restaurant was empty now, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Why am I being singled out by Monobear? I don’t understand. Monobear says these movies are supposed to be our ‘motivation’ for murder. Does he really expect me to kill someone to keep my past a secret? Is someone going to try and kill me? Dark thoughts raced through my head. Every time I thought I had collected myself, another one came along and knocked me back down.

“You alright, hun?” Looking up, I saw Emmett sitting across from me at the table. When did she get here? Did she ever leave? A flurry of questions welled up in my head, but all I could do was weakly shake my head.

“I guess that’s to be expected. That little announcement was a lot for all of us to take in.” Emmett shook her head.

“But why does it have to be me?” My fears started flowing out all at once. “My entire life, out in the open for everyone to see… And then that bit about killing someone… what if someone gets killed? I don’t want to kill anyone… I couldn’t.”

“Akira… whoah…” Emmett’s eyes were wide as she tried to take in my little rant.

“What if someone gets killed and I get blamed? This isn’t fair… I don’t want to die! Why is my life even in question? I’m not that special!”

“Hey, Akira…”

“Why am I being singled out here? I don’t understand… I don’t understand! I don’t have anything to hide!”

“Hold it!” Emmett raised her voice suddenly, shocking me into silence. Once she had the floor again, she sighed. “Sorry, hun, but I didn’t know how else to get your attention. Now, what was the last thing you just said?”

“I don’t have… anything… to hide?”

“Exactly.” Emmett nodded, grinning. “If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear from Monobear’s little exhibition.”

“I… don’t?” Emmett shook her head in response.

“The worst he could put out there is a time you forgot to put the garbage out, or a time you forgot to do your homework.” She blushed slightly. “N-Not that I’m one to speak for your life or anything. But honestly, there can’t possibly be anything in your past that would make me think less of you.”

I felt my own cheeks flush with warmth. Embarrassed, I looked away. I decided instead to page through my memories, trying to find anything I wouldn’t want to get out. Nothing. Well, maybe just a few family moments that were a bit embarrassing, but nothing worth killing over. I’m just an ordinary high school girl with an older sister and loving parents. I’ve never really done anything all that special, honestly. The dark cloud around my head was slowly starting to clear up. Satisfied, I looked back over at Emmett when a thought popped into my head.

“Why would Monobear pick me if I don’t have anything to hide?” I shrugged. “Honestly, my movie’s gonna be quite boring.” Emmett chuckled.

“Now that I think about it…” She paused. “Surely Monobear must know that you won’t have much incentive to kill over your movie. There must be someone who does, or else there wouldn’t be much point to Monobear putting on this little exhibition.”

“B-But what if their turn comes and they kill someone?”

“Then we’ll have to get out of here before that happens.” Emmett’s voice was stern and forceful.

“I-I see…” I felt myself smiling instinctively.

“Now then, try and enjoy the rest of your day, hon! We’ll get through this, don’t worry.” Emmett’s broad grin was really comforting. “Don’t worry, no one should give you any trouble out there.”

“Oh, the others… are they…”

“Yep, they’re alright.” Emmett nodded, finishing my thought for me. “It took some persuasion, but Yomihiro and I managed to convince the others that you’re not a serial killer or something.”

“Yomihiro? He stuck up for me?” All I could think of was the blank stare he gave me when I asked about his argument. Emmett scowled; clearly she felt the same.

“He’s an odd one, that guy. ” She looked up at the ceiling. “Saying strange things all the time. I want to say he’s crazy, but his actions, they seem too… deliberate.”

“Deliberate?”

“Yeah. It’s hard to explain, honestly.” Emmett closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “It’s hard to get a read on him when it feels like he’s constantly trying to read me.”

I remembered the last thing Yomihiro had said to me before the meeting. ‘Out of curiosity, really… Just testing her limits’. I do not get him whatsoever. Suddenly, Emmett stood up from the table.

“I shouldn’t hold you up any longer, hon. Feel free to do whatever you like, there’s no point in forcing everyone to do anything.” She waved me off. “I, for one, will be in the kitchen, making some tea.”

I waved farewell as Emmett walked off, disappearing from sight through a set of double doors. Looks like I'm alone again. Got some free time, what should I do? I stood up, but my legs were a bit unsteady. Stretching, I decided to walk around the restaurant for a little to get my footing. After a few minutes of aimless wandering Emmett emerged from the kitchen, carrying a fancy-looking teapot.

"Oh, Akira. You're still here?" She looked surprised to see me. "Care to join me for some tea?"

Should I pass some time with Emmett? I don't really feel like going anywhere else, so I may as well. Nodding, I sat back down at the table.

"Alright!" Emmett beamed. "I'll go get another cup!" She disappeared into the kitchen, emerging a second later with two teacups.

I shared a cup of tea with Emmett.

"Whoa... What kind of tea is this?" It had a warm, fruity aroma, yet tasted slightly sour with a faint sweetness. Kind of an odd taste, but not off-putting.

"Hibiscus tea. Helps to fight high blood pressure." Emmett delicately sipped her own cup of tea. "Probably just what you need right now, hon."

"You sound like my grandmother right now!" I giggled.

"Hah! I guess I do." Emmett laughed. "Heck, I sounded like my own grandmother there!"

The mood light, we sipped our tea in silence. After a bit, Emmett set her cup down, staring off into space.

"This is quite the perplexing case..." She said, rubbing her forehead.

"Oh? What sort of cases have you seen?" Kinda off-topic, but I'm honestly curious. What kinds of cases does a Super High School Level Lawyer see?

"Honestly, there's nothing as glamorous as you might think." Emmett smiled lazily, poking her teacup with her finger. "My firm represents several large businesses, so we mainly look out for their interests. We also have a few other high-profile clients. So, I mainly handle business deals, personal injury suits, and whatever else our clients ask for."

"Sounds like a lot of work..."

"It sure is. Not what you were expecting, huh?" She smirked. "Sorry, hon. It's just that most people expect me to be like Phoenix Wright or something, tearing up the courtroom... Finding contradictions, solving crimes... All that jazz."

I can't say that thought hadn't passed through my head.

"In fact, I rarely even go to trial anymore. Ninety percent of my cases get settled out of court." Emmett continued fiddling with her teacup.

"Wow, that many? That's incredible..."

"It's more a matter of necessity, honestly..." Emmett said, pouring herself some more tea. "With the amount of cases we get, we can't take them all to court. It would waste too much time and money."

"That's a lot to keep track of..." I'm really not making very intelligent conversation right now and I feel kinda bad. But hey, this is a completely new world to me.

"Mhm." Emmett seemed lost in thought. "There's no better feeling than having everything under control..." She trailed off into silence.

"Everything alright?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Emmett tried to regain her composure. "Just thinking about something..."

"I-I see..."

“Oops…” Emmett shook the teapot. “Seems like we polished off the tea.”

She stood up, collecting the empty cups on the table.

“Don’t worry, I’ll clean up. You go get some fresh air, hon. Ok?” She winked at me. I nodded, and we parted ways. She disappeared into the kitchen once again, and I slipped outside.

There was a slight breeze in the air when I stepped outside. I stopped to take it in for a minute, thinking about what I just heard. It sounds like Emmett has quite the workload as a lawyer. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully understand it, but for now… I think we’ve grown a little closer. At the very least, I understand her a little better now. I started walking, no particular destination in mind.

Where to go now? It’s getting late in the afternoon, and I don’t really want to go anywhere else, so I think I’ll just go back to my room. I was secretly hoping I could make it back without running into anyone. Unfortunately, I ran into the worst possible person I could have in my current mood. Yanagi was standing next to the gate across the bridge, looking out at the roller coasters. I tried to sneak by, but she noticed me and jogged over, notepad in hand.

“Mizuno! Mizuno! A word?”

"What's up?" Reluctantly, I decided to hear her out. I braced myself for an onslaught of questions.

"Care to comment on the meeting just now?"

"Um, well-"

"How about Monobear's announcement?"

"I don't-"

"Do you have any secrets to hide?"

"Look, I-"

"You have no plans to kill anyone, do you?"

"Are you going to give me a chance to answer?" This is getting ridiculous.

"Mhm, I see..." She didn't even notice. "How about-"

"Stop it!" My shout caught her off guard. “How am I supposed to answer when you don’t give me a chance?”

Yanagi thought it over for a minute, then pocketed her notepad, nodding.

“S-Sorry…” she said, “I’ve been a little on edge lately. Didn’t mean to crowd you like that.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” Geez, now I kinda feel bad for raising my voice. “We’re all on edge right now.”

“That’s for sure.” Yanagi sighed, leaning her head back to stare at the sky. “This whole mess is so crazy…”

“Yeah, it is…” It seems like she’s actually mellowed out some.

“Just think… when we get out of here, I got first dibs on the scoop!”

Never mind. Although to be fair... when it’s not directed at me, her enthusiasm could be quite healthy. Just my luck that she’s fixed her eyes square on me once more. If I want to leave, I should do it now, before she goes back into her ‘interrogation mode’.

“So, how about a quote, then?” Yanagi asked. Her notebook was out, but still closed. I know from experience that she won’t be satisfied with just one. Should I spend time with Yanagi?

...Sure, why not. What could it possibly hurt, other than my patience? Sighing, I gave in.

I was thoroughly interrogated by Yanagi.

Once she was satisfied, I got the chance to ask a question of my own.

“Say, Yanagi? There’s something I’m curious about…”

“Oh? What is it?” She pocketed her notepad, looking at me curiously.

“You were looking through the gate a little bit ago. What were you doing?”

“That?” She blinked a few times before continuing. “I was trying to map out the area over there.”

Yanagi pulled out her notepad and flipped to a page in the back. There I saw a page full of scribbled notes - a collection of numbers and words.

“W-What is all this?” I asked, unable to make heads or tails of this information.

“Oh, just notes really. See here?” She pointed at a corner of the page where ‘roller coaster’ was written… Well, that’s all I could figure out. “This roller coaster’s about one hundred meters from the gate. At its highest, it stands about thirty-seven degrees high, again from the gate.”

“How can you tell all of this… just by looking?” There’s so much detailed information here.

Yanagi blinked a few times, trying to make sense of my surprise.

“The trained eyes of a journalist. 20/20 vision.” She winked at me. “I can’t always get as close as I like when I’m on a beat, so I had to train myself to gather as much information as possible from a distance.”

A… beat? She can do all that? Wait, she has 20/20 vision? That’s pretty cool! Everything I heard bounced around in my head for a few seconds before I could come up with something else to say.

“So… you can take all that and turn it into a map?”

“It's all in the notes, Mizuno.” Yanagi beamed with pride. “We have to be able to take these notes and turn them into a full-fledged story, after all. That's the true art of journalism."

"Wow... I can never make any sense of my notes after I take them.." They never make any sense whenever I go back to study them. Sure, it doesn't help that my handwriting's pretty lousy, but whenever I manage to actually read my notes they just make no sense.

"Then you're not doing it right!" Yanagi exclaimed. "I'll have to teach you!"

"T-Teach me?"

"Right." She nodded. "Now, I bet you try to write too much when you take notes. You fall behind and rush to catch up. As a result your notes wind up messy and incomplete."

I simply nodded; it's as if she read my mind.

"Don't worry, it's more common than you'd think." Oh, okay then. Never mind. "See, what you gotta do is focus on the meat of what you're hearing. Take down key points as you hear them. You can abbreviate, but make sure you'll recognize what you're abbreviating. But most importantly - stay organized. Your notes won't do you any good if they're a mess."

"Key points... abbreviate... organize..." I muttered, trying to take in everything she was saying.

"Good. You're catching on!" She clapped her hands together. "Now, this won't do you any good if you don't remember what your notes mean."

"How do you do that, though?" It all sounds so easy when she says it.

"Well, um..." Yanagi fiddled with her notepad. "You gotta take notes that'll help you remember later on."

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"It's... harder to explain than I thought. Sorry."

"Well... how do YOU do it?" I asked.

"How do I do it?" She seemed to tense up a little. "Lots of practice." Her answer was abrupt. I opened my mouth to say something, but she beat me to the punch.

"Oh, and a good memory!" She winked at me. Well, that would certainly help. "Don't worry. If you like, I'll teach you a few memory tricks sometime!"

"I...I'd like that!" I feel like I've gotten to know Yanagi a little. I might have to take her up on her offer. Something tells me I could learn a lot from her.

“It’s getting late.” Yanagi looked up at the sky, which was starting to cloud over. “We should probably get back to the hotel, eh?”

“May as well…” I nodded, and we set off for the hotel.

\-----

Ding Dong! Ding Dong!

“Um, this is an announcement from the staff of Monobear Land… It is now 10pm. Night Time begins now. The park is officially closed! I recommend you lock your doors up at night… you never know what you might run into if you go out! Upupu… Good night, you bastards... Good night…”

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling as Monobear's announcement faded away and the monitor went dark. Sighing, I closed my eyes, running through the last few hours in my head.

Dinner was a quiet affair. When Yanagi and I got back to the hotel, we found a few people gathered in the dining room. Apparently when we weren't looking, Monobear had seen to our dinner, filling the tables with piles upon piles of food. Over time, the others trickled in. Everyone nodded, acknowledging me, but I couldn't help but think that they were trying to keep their distance. Avoiding me, even. There was some small talk, but for the first time since this mess started, I felt like an outsider.

The only thing significant said through the whole ordeal came from Emmett. She broke the silence, suggesting that since things are getting a bit tense around here, maybe we should stay in our rooms once Free Time rolls around. Kanno wondered why anyone would go out that late to begin with, but other than that no one objected. With that out of the way, we went our separate ways for the night.

I slipped away as soon as I could, locking myself in my room. A few minutes later, Nidanski knocked on my door. Just checking in, she said, wanted to make sure I was alright. Despite my rather somber dinner mood, I was honestly kinda touched. But I still wanted to be alone, so I told her I was alright and closed the door.

And now I’m here, trying to fall asleep, yet failing miserably. Maybe if I just stay in here for a few days, this will all blow over. Yes, maybe I’ll wake up back in my normal bed, in my normal life. I sure wish it were that easy.

Tomorrow night, Monobear puts my life out there for the rest of us to see. I can’t say I’m not nervous. I know I don’t have anything to hide… That’s not what’s wrong here. No, the thing that’s bothering me is a sinking feeling growing inside me after talking to Emmett and Yanagi today.

Quite frankly, I don’t belong here.

I don’t mean here, as in Monobear Land… I mean here, as in Hope’s Peak Academy. Everyone here is so talented, and me… I’m just so… ordinary. The more I think about it, the more I realize I have no redeeming qualities. And that’s what scares me. What are a bunch of clever, talented students going to think when they see just how dull I am?

There’s no point in dwelling on this. It’s going to happen no matter what. I can’t stop it, the alternative… is just… too…

Too…

…

…

zzz…

\---------------

**Monobear Theatre**

**People sometimes ask me why I do the things I do.**

**First an island, now an amusement park...**

**Am I in the tourism business, they ask? Or am I in the hospitality business?**

**Neither. I’m in the despair business.**

**If this is your first time here, I suggest you tread lightly…**

**Because things are about to get much worse very soon.**

**I’m an unpredictable bear, after all.**

**It’s you bastards who are in danger here...**

**And I am the bear who knocks.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any preferences for the next two free-time events? I'd really like some suggestions!


	10. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day dawns in Monobear Land, and we get to see two more free-time events! (Still need two names for next chapter!)

**You’re nervous, aren’t you? Afraid?**

I’m back in the darkness, although this time it feels more secluded. Once again the light in front of me appears to be addressing some unseen presence. And yes, I am afraid.

**It’s ok. I know you’re worried about your family.**

I know the voice isn’t talking to me, but I can’t help but think about my own family. What must they be thinking right now? Are they worried about me? Are they alright?

**No one else acknowledges you. They don’t respect you, do they?**

I feel so insignificant compared to everyone else here. Like I don’t belong.

**You don’t have to face this alone. I’ll be there for you.**

So, I’m… not alone?

**You don’t need to put on this front anymore. I can see the real you.**

The light grew brighter, sending a sharp pain through my head.

**So stop lying to yourself. Let’s talk.**

Lying to myself? But, I’m not! I’m… not…

—————

**Ding Dong! Ding Dong!**

“Um, this is an announcement from the staff of Monobear Land… It’s 7am, the start of another fine day! Let’s do our best to enjoy ourselves today!”

Enjoy ourselves? Sure, whatever. I slipped out of bed and took a quick shower, trying to put this nightmare out of my mind. I’m in no condition to make sense of anything in my dream right now, anyway. After getting dressed, I stood by my door for a few seconds, working up the will to go outside.

DING DONG!

A loud tone rang out through the room, knocking me off balance a little. Is that the doorbell? Geez, I didn’t know it waspish bloody loud. My ears ringing, I stumbled towards the door and peered through the peephole. Outside, Nidanski was shifting her weight from foot to foot, her eyes fixed square on my door. It was almost like she was trying to burn a hole straight through my door. She raised her hand toward the doorbell. Wait, don’t do that!

"I’m here! I’m here!" I yelled, flinging my door open.

"Oh!" Nidanski stepped back, her eyes widening. "There you are, Mizuno!"

"S-Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you!" I blurted out, panicking. "It’s just that the doorbell, it’s so loud, and-"

"Don’t worry, Mizuno. It’s alright." She smiled, relaxing a little. "I just came to see if you were coming to breakfast."

"O-oh… Yeah. Yeah, I am." Am I the last one to come down? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But she did come up here just for me. That’s gotta mean something, right? Maybe they still want me around after all…

"Mizuno, are you alright?" Nidanski studied my face carefully. "You look down. You were looking pretty… how do you say… glum last night, too. Are you ill?"

"I’m just… All this…" My eyes wandered around the hotel hallway. "All this is starting to get to me." Yeah, it wasn’t the full truth, but it wasn’t a lie.

"I know what you mean." She nodded. "We’ve been under a lot of stress lately. How do you deal with it?"

"Eh?"

"Me, I lift when I’m stressed." Well, that makes sense. She is a weightlifter, after all. "If you ever need to work off some stress, then come lift with me."

"R-Really?" I don’t know if this is the best idea, but if she’s offering, then I… maybe I could take her up on it. "I… I’ll think about it."

"I’ll look forward to it." Nidanski grinned. "Now then, let us head to breakfast."

She waved me over to the stairwell, and I followed quietly. While I appreciated her efforts to cheer me up, I was still in a bit of a funk. She looked back at me a few times, but said nothing. When we made it down to the lobby, we were greeted by Kiyomizu. He was leaning against the wall next to the dining room door, peeling an apple with a small knife..

“There she is, Miss America…” He whispered to himself as we approached.

“Kiyomizu. What are you doing out here?” Nidanski greeted him rather dryly. He grinned in response.

“Just worried about Miss Mizuno, pal.” He looked past Nidanski, to me. “You alright?”

I nodded.  Kiyomizu shrugged; he didn’t look convinced. Fortunately he let the matter drop. He turned to go back inside, colliding with Kanno (who was leaving the dining room at that moment). They tumbled awkwardly to the ground, Kiyomizu losing his apple and knife in the process.

“Owowowowow…” Kiyomizu whimpered, clutching his forehead as he writhed in pain.

“Geez… That friggin’ hurt!” Kanno crawled over to the wall, sitting up. “Damn. That meet cute thing ain’t all it’s cracked up to be…”

“You can say that again.” Kiyomizu grumbled. Nidanski helped him to his feet, and he retrieved his apple, brushing it off on his coat. Reluctantly I offered Kanno my hand, pulling him to his feet.

“Thanks…” He nodded to me, before shuffling over to Kiyomizu’s side. He reached over to pick up the fallen knife.  “Say, this is just a plain old kitchen knife!”

“Huh?” I asked, blinking in confusion. “Were you expecting something else?”

“Well every good detective carries a knife, right?” Kanno pointed at me, launching into an odd monologue. “Isn’t that rule number one? Always carry a knife?”

“Um, sure. If you say so.” Nidanski glared at Kanno, her arms crossed. Kiyomizu, on the other hand, chuckled, pulling something out of his pocket.

“You mean this?” Kiyomizu held it up to show us. Kanno’s eyes lit up, instantly recognizing it for what it was - a pocket knife.

“Aha! You DO have one!” Kanno accepted it, trying to force the blade open. After a bit of struggle, he finally succeeded. The blade was fairly thin, and a few inches long, folding into the handle carefully. “Awesome!”

Looking at it closer, the blade looked old and slightly rusted. The handle was dark, and looked to be engraved - it looked familiar somehow. After a bit of effort, Kiyomizu folded the blade into the handle. He held it up to show us, grinning.

“Oh, cool. A pocket knife.” I leaned forward to take a closer look. I don’t know why I’m not more surprised. The only other weapons I’ve seen so far were that knife in the gift shop and, well… silverware. “Where’d you find this?”

“Find it? It’s mine, pal!” He made to pocket the knife, but hesitated. “Well, it belonged to my grandfather, actually.”

“A memento?” Nidanski blinked, surprisingly curious. “How sweet.”

Wow… Never expected to hear something like that out of her. Kiyomizu rolled the knife in his hands absentmindedly, chuckling.

“The blade’s kinda rusty, so it’s a pain to open.” He said, offering it to Kanno, who tried and failed to open it up. “I really only keep it on me as a good luck charm.”

Kanno passed the knife back to him, and he pocketed it with a grin.

“Now, you should get in there before all the food gets eaten, pal.” Kiyomizu said, putting his hand on my shoulder and nudging me inside. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I wasn’t in any mood to argue either.

Breakfast was quiet once again, with bits of small talk here and there. Nidanski, Kiyomizu, and Kanno sat at a table with me, chatting quietly amongst themselves. A few times I thought they said something to me, but I just smiled and nodded. I was hungrier than I thought.

There was no clear beginning or end to this; everyone cleaned up after themselves, then just went their separate ways. Emmett didn’t say a word to them before they left. I guess I had just come to accept her as our leader up till now, so I found her silence a bit odd. Was I expecting a heroic speech? I don’t know… Maybe I’m overthinking things.

I offered to help Emmett clean up again, but she swiftly turned me down.

“Go get some fresh air, hon…” she said, as she nudged me out the door, “It’ll make you feel better!”

I didn’t have the will to argue with her. Guess it’s time to find some way to spend the day.

——-

With no plan in mind, I decided to head for the main gate. When I was about to cross the bridge, though, I heard a few small splashing sounds coming from the river below. Looking over the side, I saw Kimura kneeling down by the side of the river.

“What’re you up to?” I asked her. She stood up, and launched something in her hand at the river, which landed with a loud plop. Her face soured, but when she looked up at me her smile returned.

“Oh, hey Akira! I’m skipping stones!” She picked up another stone from a pile next to her and flung it awkwardly at the river. Sure enough, it landed with a plop, not skipping in the slightest. “Or at least trying to…”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe this day wouldn’t be so bad after all. Stepping off the bridge, I found the path leading down to Kimura and followed it, joining her by the river.

“Wanna try?” Kimura asked, snatching two stones from the pile of smooth, flat stones he had collected and handing me one. “Here. This is how you do it.”

She sidearmed a rock at the river this time, but sure enough it landed with a thud, failing to skip.

“Craaap…” She pouted, slumping her shoulders. Her smile quickly returned. “U-um, you try!”

I took my stone, trying to mimic her arm motion. Unlike her throw, however, my stone skipped across the surface of the water a few times, before disappearing into the river. Kimura looked from the river back to me, blinking. Finally, she grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Woooow… that was amazing!” She grabbed me by the shoulders, bouncing up and down slightly. “C-Can you teach me how to do that?”

What? I thought she was gonna teach me… Oh well. Should I spend time here with Kimura? May as well. I don’t think she’ll let me leave, anyway.

I (attempted to) teach Kimura how to skip stones. It didn’t go very well.

“Aww… I can’t make them skip…” Kimura pouted. We had burned through at least 30 pebbles of various shapes and sizes, and Kimura had yet to successfully skip any of them. I tried my best to guide her, but I didn’t even know how I managed to skip one on my first try.

“Sorry. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” I patted her on the back, trying to comfort her. “I thought you already knew how to do it, anyway.”

“Oh, I had no clue.” She said matter-of-factly, perking up. “I just really wanted to try it.”

“I-I see…”

“You know what I really want to try?” She asked, changing the subject all of a sudden. “Climbing Mt. Everest.”

“Wha- Mt. Everest?! That’s insane!” How on earth did we go from skipping stones to climbing giant mountains? “Where is this coming from?”

“I dunno. I just want to try it.” She rubbed her chin, thinking it over. Suddenly her eyes lit up. “Oh, right! I saw a program on tv about these guys who tried to climb it. Two of them died, and they had to be rescued by helicopter!”

“A-and that made you WANT to try it?” My god, she must have been a troublesome child.

“You betcha.” She nodded eagerly.

“B-But isn’t it dangerous?” I sputtered in disbelief. “People have died there! Lots of them!”

“Oh, I guess so. But think of the adventure!” She was bouncing with excitement. “You should come with, Akira! We’ll stand on top of the world together!” Oh, no. No. Just no. I will not be caught dead doing something so bloody… insane.

“I-I think I’ll pass, thanks… I’m fine with my view of the world being right here.” I sighed, suddenly feeling really exhausted. “Besides, it’s too cold up there for me.”

“Wait, it’s cold up there?” She stopped in her tracks, a surprised look on her face. Suddenly her face soured. “Eh, maybe we shouldn’t do that then.”

“Huh? What’s the matter? Don’t you like the cold?”

“Nuh-uh…” She shook her head.

“Wait a minute… aren’t you a figure skater, though? How can you not like the cold?” Something about this just did not compute with me. I couldn’t even put the feeling into words.

“W-well, it’s fine and all when I’m out on the ice. But when my routine’s all over, that’s when it really gets to me.” She tilted her head to the side, looking at me quizzically. “Those arenas… they keep them really cold, you know!”

“I… I… Yes, they certainly do.” There’s no point in putting up a fight anymore. Her mind seems to work in absolutely mystifying ways.

“When I get off the ice, then I get to wear all these cool, comfy coats and stuff. So I guess it’s alright.”

Well, she wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t…  AUGH! My brain is starting to hurt.

“So… you don’t like the cold yet you got into figure skating. I-I guess it’s not as strange as I first thought.” My voice is getting strained, although she doesn’t seem to notice. It is plausible, I must admit. I guess it’s more the childlike innocence with which she attacks life which amazes me. It’s exciting, yet at the same time it’s so incredibly exhausting.

“Ooh… you know what I want to try, Akira?” Kimura’s eyes filled with dangerous excitement, dropping our last line of conversation. “Fishing!”

“F-fishing?” I sputtered. “Don’t we need gear or something?”

“Yeah! I’m gonna go look for some rods or something!” She took off up the bank, stopping at the top to wave at me. “See ya later, Akira!”

“Bye…” Thanks for leaving me behind. I was relieved, yet kinda bummed out at the same time. In the end, I suppose we’ve grown a little closer. But I’ve started down the long and potentially dangerous road of understanding this odd girl’s mind.

…Are there even any fish in this river?

Well, now that I’m alone once again, I may as well head somewhere else. I set off back up the bank and headed towards the fountain. As I passed the locker rooms, a thought hit me. I hadn’t actually seen inside the theatre yet. I’ve looked in from the outside, but hadn’t actually explored the inside. There’s a thought… I made my way over to the giant Monobear face with the two doors. No one else was around, so I approached them and had a look. One door was on the white side of the face, and one was on the black side. Neither appeared to have a handle at all. Upon further examination, I found a small card reader sticking out of the wall on the dark side. With a flourish, I swiped my ElectroID through it. Emitting a loud click, the door popped open. Success!

Slipping through, I found myself in an enclosed foyer. There was a small wooden stand near a set of double doors on the other side of the room. Other than that, the room was pretty much empty. Although… I could hear someone… singing? It was coming from inside the theater… It could only be…

I pushed open the double doors and headed out into the open air. The theater itself was quite impressive; rows of seats divided by a few aisles extended downward, finishing in a slight arc facing the stage. A short distance - maybe a foot or two - separated the front row of seats from the stage, which itself stood a foot or two off the ground. And sure enough, standing center stage was Matteo Agnelli. He was singing in a language I didn’t recognize; whatever it was, it sounded beautiful.

He finished his song by the time I made it down to the stage.

Picking my way carefully down the center aisle, I made my way towards the stage, silently admiring his song. It started out so sorrowful, but as it went on, it became powerful and triumphant, finishing with one final bellowed note which he held for several seconds before silence fell. I found myself clapping for him. Noticing me for the first time, he grinned.

“Akiraaaaaaa!” He roared in greeting.

“Wow… that was incredible!” All that singing and he could still project his voice like this… How the heck does he do that?

“Thank you, dear Akira!” He glowed, gesturing to a set of stairs on the right side of the stage leading up to it. Taking the hint, I scurried up them, joining him. “What brings you down here?”

“Just curious, really.” I shrugged. “I wanted to see what this place looked like. Then I heard you singing… What were you singing, anyway?”

“Ah, yes!” His face lit up. “‘Deh! Vieni Alla Finestra’, a truly beautiful aria… a man serenades his lover from outside her window, trying to win her heart…”

I wasn’t sure what language that was, but his description of it was quite touching…

Huh… should I spend time here with Agnelli? I’m here already, so I may as well.

I was serenaded with the tale of the angry, young nobleman Don Giovanni and his lover…

“Say, Akira…” Agnelli asked me after finishing his lengthy explanation. “Have you done any singing in the past?”

“H-huh? W-Well, not really…” I stammered, surprised by the question. “I mean, I was in a choir in elementary school… But I wasn’t very good, or anything…”

“Really?” Agnelli raised an eyebrow. “I think you have a fantastic voice. I’d LOOOOOOVE to hear you sing one of these days.”

“Ah… m-me?” I blushed violently. “B-but I couldn’t… I’m not…”

“NOOOOONSENSE!” He roared. “With a bit of practice, I’m confident you could be a beautiful singer!”

“I… I…” Geez… who knew this guy was such a flatterer… Gotta change the subject, quick! “W-What sort of practice do you do, anyway?”

“Oh, my voice training…” Scratching his chin, he blinked a few times. “I suppose I could EDUCAAAAAATE you!”

His chest swelled with pride.

“Now, the first misconception people have about voice training is thus… Singing is more than simply stimulating one’s vocal chords… the beautiful lyrics we know and love are made by the mouth!”

“I-I see…” I moved my mouth around in various ways, thinking over his words.

“Therefore… we need to train both our vocal chords and our mouths! With intensity!” He shook his fist, voice filled with an intensity which could pierce the heavens. “Feel the muscles in your mouth with each and every word you speak!”

“Now, repeat after me!” He pointed dramatically in my direction, before letting out a guttural roar. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“A-Aaaaaaaah!” I tried to match him, but his intensity was kind of overwhelming.

“LOOOOOUDER!” He roared.

“A-AAAAAAAAH!” I channeled energy directly from my spirit to increase my intensity.

“EXCELEEEEEEENT!” He roared his approval. “Keep going!”

I obliged, holding my roar for a few minutes. Geez… how long is he gonna make me do this?

“Now!” He spoke up suddenly. “Make a face!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOO?” Huh? I fell silent abruptly, confused.

“Did you feel that? When you moved your mouth, you changed the sound you were making! Isn’t that feeling FANTAAAAASTIC?!”

That was kinda weird… I mean, I moved my mouth, but it sounded odd at first…OH!

"You mean… your mouth affects what sound you make… and your brain automatically adjusts?" I cocked my head to the side, sorta seeing what he was trying to say. Agnelli’s face brightened up immediately upon hearing my reply.

"EXAAAAAAAACTLY!" He roared. "Your vocal chords make one noise! Then your mouth shapes that noise into the beautiful melodies we sing! And finally, your brain adjusts to the melody, completing the process! Isn’t it MAGNIFICEEEEEEENT?"

“I-It is kinda cool, yeah…” I nodded. “But geez… my throat’s kinda sore now… Is this the kind of thing you do to train?”

“Indeed. I have a set of daily voice training exercises I must do to maintain my tonous voice.” Chuckling, he puffed out his chest. “Three hours a day… four on weekends!”

“W-What? T-That’s INSANE!”

“I-Is it?” He blinked, shocked by my outburst. “I’ve been doing things like this for years…”

“I-I… Wow…” Years, huh… Is that the level of commitment required to be an opera singer? “That’s… amazing…”

“Fear not… I would never make you undergo such fervous training right away, Akira…” He chuckled, a nervous grin on his face. “This Chords of Steel training regimen is dangerous to mere normals!”

In spite of my surprise, I laughed. We shared a light, friendly laugh by the stage. Agnelli… he’s pretty intimidating on the surface, but beyond that he’s actually a pretty good guy…

But his training regimen is way too intense for me…

After chatting with Agnelli for a while, we parted ways. I feel like we’ve gotten a little closer.

—-

When I emerged from the theatre back into the park, I was quickly spotted by Kimura. She trotted over to me, followed (a few feet back) by a very exhausted-looking Hideaki. Poor guy… wonder how he got roped into trying to keep up with her…

“Akira! Hey! I’ve been looking for you!”

“Oh, hey… What’s up?” I asked, just as Hideaki made it to us.

“It’s lunchtime! Emmett sent us to gather everyone up!” She beamed, bouncing in place. I looked past her at Hideaki, who was doubled over, gasping for breath with his hands on his knees.

“O-Oh, alright…” I answered, but she didn’t seem to notice my distraction. She flashed me a thumbs-up, winking.

“Alright then, everyone’s at the cafe! Hurry up, before Kanno and Amari eat everything!” With that, she trotted off, leaving Hideaki behind. I walked over to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

“Y-You alright?” He wheezed and coughed, before finally collecting himself.

“Hhh… I’m… fine, t-thank you, A-Akira…” He forced a smile for my sake. “I-It’s just… Kimura… she’s… hhh… so fast…”

“You got that right…” I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. “She’s like a puppy, a ball of endless energy…” He groaned.

“I guess we should get over there, huh…” Our eyes met, and he nodded. We made our way over to the Crooked Smiles Cafe, slipping inside.

Looks like I managed to make it through half the day so far… While I’ve kept myself distracted, the thought of the Monobear movie tonight still weighed on me. I’m just praying that I’ll get through this day without incident…


	11. Chapter 1: Enigma Behind The Grain / (Ab)normal days Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, after 10,000 years I'm free!
> 
> In this part, we have a bit of an explosive lunch, spend some time with Charise Emmett, and then hang out a little with the little one, Fuyuki Hideaki!

Sure enough, everyone else was already there when we arrived. Sonnen and Asahi were sitting at a table away from everyone. Off in another corner, looking sulky as usual, was Takara. The majority of the action, however, was centered around a table in the center of the room. Kiyomizu, Amari, Kanno, Miyamoto, and… oddly enough, Yomihiro… were seated around the table. 

“Huh? What are those guys up to?” Kimura asked.

“Playing cards, hon.” Emmett walked up to us, smiling. As we looked on, Kanno started to pass cards around the table. Huh… Wonder what they were playing… 

“Ahh… they sell cards in that one shop, right?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the table at the center of the room. Emmett nodded in response, patting Kimura and I on the shoulder.

“Go get yourself some food, you guys!” She grinned, directing us towards a table in the back of the restaurant before going on her way. We stared wide-eyed at the table; it was piled high with an impressive spread of sandwiches, fruit, and other sorts of food. 

“W-W-W-Whooooa…” Kimura gaped, her eyes wide and a hint of drool at the corner of her mouth. 

“Monobear’s doing, I assume…” I muttered, but Kimura didn’t hear me. In a flash she was gone, diving into the pile of food with her usual gusto. Welp… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I snuck a tasty-looking sandwich from the table and wandered off. 

“Hmm… you’re looking well, Akira.” Nidanski patted me on the shoulder, greeting me with a smile. Jumping in surprise, I turned to see her and Agnelli next to me.

“Ah… when did you…”

“Apologies for startling YOOOOOU!” Geez… that startled me even worse, Agnelli… There was so much to take in all at once, I was really starting to get overwhelmed…

“G-Geez, It’s alright…” I muttered, sounding a bit more annoyed than I intended. Just then there was a shout from the table across the room, followed by laughter - Seems something big had happened in the card game. Noticing my interest, Nidanski laughed quietly.

“Seems Kanno just lost a big hand…” she said, her eyes warmly observing the game. 

“How can you tell?” There was a lot of activity over by that table, and the spectators were crowding kinda close.

“Look… He’s banging his head on the table.” she replied, an amused smirk on her face. Looking closer, I saw… Ah, yes. She was right. Ouch… that had to hurt. Shaking her head, she patted me on the shoulder, walking away to get some more food. 

"That poor fellow..." Agnelli clucked his tongue, shaking his head at what had unfolded. "He was PLAAAAAAAYED!"

"W-Wait... played?"

"Of course, by the damn psychic." Takara sidled over to us, arms crossed. Her face was scrunched up in a disgusted scowl - she clearly wanted nothing to do with our conversation, yet here she was. "He's good, I'll give him that..."

In the meantime, another hand had started at the table. Cards were exchanged and tossed around the table as cheerful chatter filled the room once more. I was only faintly paying attention as the game progressed, but the longer it went on, the more I started to notice something in particular… Yomihiro’s eyes were fixed square on Kanno, a smirk fixed on his face. Kanno met his gaze, but after a while his eyes started to wander. He stared at his cards for a while, but then his eyes started to wander. Yomihiro stared him down all the while, grinning. Kanno couldn’t run forever. Gradually he started to squirm and sweat, fiddling with his cards more and more. An air of tension seemed to fall over the table as all eyes focused on them, the last two people in this round. It’s showdown time. Looking over his cards one last time, Yomihiro’s grin widened a little. This small gesture was enough to crack Kanno, who tossed his cards into the center of the table, groaning.

“I’m out…” he whined, pounding the table with his hand. At that moment the tension broke, and the rest of the players started laughing. Kiyomizu clapped Kanno on the shoulder, sending him into a fit of coughing.

"Hah, good one!" Kiyomizu chuckled. Kanno punched him on the arm, but he kept chuckling.

"Well executed, Yomihiro..." wheezed Miyamoto, a slight grin on his face. In response, Yomihiro simply shrugged.

"Seriously, how the hell do you do that, man?" Kanno groaned, glaring at Yomihiro. "I swear, you gotta be cheating or something!"

"Cheating?" Yomihiro raised an eyebrow. "I like to think I'm not so petty. The power of suggestion isn't some mere cheat, you know."

"Suggestion? There ain't no suggestion for dealing you good cards..." Kanno grunted in reply.

"Good cards?" Yomihiro chuckled, tossing his cards into the center of the table. Seeing them, Kanno's face twisted in anger. "Ace-high is hardly a good hand..."

"Gah! You played me!" he snarled, as the rest of the table shared a good laugh at his expense. "You bastard!"

"It's not my fault you're an easy mark..." Yomihiro shrugged again, shaking his head dismissively. This only served to anger Kanno further.

"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!" he yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

"Dude, chill!" Amari chuckled nervously. "It's just a game!"

“But… But…” Kanno stood up and pointed across the table at Yomihiro. “That’s not fair! He read my mind!”

Yomihiro scoffed. Everyone was watching this exchange now. Even Asahi and Sonnen, secluded from the beginning, were paying attention.

“Good one, funny boy. You actually think my talent is mind-reading?” He laughed heartily, amused by Kanno’s accusation. “I didn’t read your mind. That’s preposterous.”

“O-Oh yeah?” Kanno was caught off-guard, but continued his assault anyway. “But you can read minds, can’t you? Go on, read my mind!”

The psychic’s eyes narrowed. Without missing a beat, he snapped back.

“Be funny. Go on, do it!” There was a sharp bite to his voice.

Kanno’s enthusiasm faltered some.

“W-What the… I can’t just do that at a moment’s notice! It’s not just a switch I can pull!”

“Exactly. Now you know how I feel.” His voice was cool and calm. Leaning forward slightly, he stared deep into Kanno’s eyes, drumming his fingers on the table softly in an indistinguishable pattern. “But for you, I’ll make an exception this time…”

Silence fell over the whole room, save for Yomihiro’s tapping. It didn’t take long for that to make Kanno uncomfortable. Waving his hand, he feebly attempted to salvage his dignity.

“N-No, don’t read me…” He stood up, pointing over at me. “Read her.”

Wait, what?

“Akira?” Yomihiro seemed equally surprised. “Why her?”

“Cuz of that Monobear video thing.” The mention of the bear sent the room into a tense silence. “Read her mind, and tell us what she has to hide. Before anyone gets killed.”

What the hell?! Where was this coming from? I-I get that they’re nervous, but still… Yomihiro wouldn’t actually do this, would he? I open my mouth to protest, but Yomihiro cuts me off.

“...Fine. If it makes you feel better.” Wait, no… stop! He turns his gaze to me, looking me over from top to bottom. Finally he stares me in the eye. I’m transfixed by his gaze, unable to move. His eyes, they were so cold, stern… but after a while they softened.

“She doesn’t have anything to hide.” he said. “Her past… I’d say it was completely normal. Loving family, a sibling or two… If anything, there’s just a few embarrassing family moments. She’s just scared. But there’s something else, isn’t there… She feels like she doesn’t belong here, at Hope’s Peak. Because of her talent, I presume. That’s why she’s worried.” 

Kanno lowered his head, eyes filled with remorse.

“So how about we stop throwing stupid accusations around, okay?” Yomihiro concluded, standing up from the table and pushing his chair in. 

“You know… I’d be more suspicious of someone using this motive to frame her.” He mentioned no names, but his gaze was fixed solely on Kanno. His point was made. Kanno opened and closed his mouth a few times, before nodding meekly and sitting down. Without saying a word, Yomihiro walked out of the restaurant, leaving the rest of us in stunned silence. 

“A-Ah… Wait!”

I found myself calling out to him right before he disappeared from sight. Gripped by this sudden urge, I sprinted out of the restaurant after him.

“Yomihiro! W-Wait, please!”

He turned to face me slowly. For a brief second I thought I caught a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“Mizuno? Something the matter?”

“Ah… Well… Um-” Drat, I’m stumbling over my words again. Why did I run off after him? “I… uhm… wanted to thank you. You were right… about everything…”

“I see.” He sighed, rubbing his chin. “Let me say this, then. Hope’s Peak never makes mistakes. You’re no exception. Just because you got in on a lottery doesn’t mean that you’re any less important than any of us.”

Surprisingly, he smiled.

“You deserve to be here, Akira… Don’t forget that.”

Having said his piece he turned and walked away, leaving me stunned in front of the restaurant. I’m no less important… than any of them… It’s like he saw right through me. Did he actually read my mind? Dazed and confused, I wandered back inside. From what I could tell the party had pretty much died down when I got back. I guess that little confrontation had killed the mood in the end. Oh well… I know it’s my fault, but still…

My stomach grumbled suddenly, sending me a painful reminder that I hadn’t actually eaten anything yet. I heard a soft chuckle from my right; turning to see the source, I noticed Kiyomizu eying me with a goofy smile on his face.

“I heard that…” he giggled, standing up from his seat. “Someone’s hungry!”

“N-No I’m not!”

“Heh, I heard you grumble.Don’t worry, there’s plenty of food left!” He motioned over to the table in the back of the room, which was still pretty well covered with food. “Go on, don’t let me stop you, pal!”

I tried to hold out, I really did. There was no way I was about to admit my weakness in front of someone else. But with another grumble, my feet were moving towards the table of food.

…

Twenty minutes later I had torn through two sandwiches and who knows what else, Kiyomizu looking on in a bit of dazed amazement. Guess I really was hungrier than I thought. After polishing off the large plate in front of me, I leaned back in my chair, sighing with content.

“Wow… When’s the last time you even ate?” Kiyomizu chuckled, although there was a hint of concern in his eyes.

“U-Um… I don’t remember…”

I don’t think I’ve really eaten anything since we got here. Wait, there was breakfast, but I didn’t really eat much then, either.

“Well then, as long as you’re okay now.” He smiled, nodding. “Just… whatever you do, you gotta eat something now and then. Even under these circumstances.”

“I will, I will…” I nodded, a little embarrassed. First Emmett was looking after me, and now Kiyomizu. They argued like a married couple, to boot, with me as their only child. It was a comforting feeling. Reminded me of my family, so quiet and normal, with their friendly, loving arguments. I kinda missed that normalcy right now…

So peaceful… and safe…

A loud yawn snapped me out of my little daydream. Kiyomizu stood up, covering his mouth in an attempt to stifle it, but it didn’t work too well.

“Heh, welp… I’m beat. Gonna go take a nap.”

Kiyomizu slid his chair out, giving us a small wave as he started for the door.

“See ya, man.” Emmett returned the wave, as did I. With a nod, Kiyomizu was gone.

——————

“Want some more tea, hon?”

Emmett stood up herself, looking back at me.

“Uh… sure…”

I still wasn’t exactly in the mood for going anywhere, or even getting up. For a much different reason this time… Man, I felt like my stomach was gonna burst!

Okay, I may have overdone it just a tad, but a girl can splurge now and then, right?

Emmett’s off in the kitchen, so I wonder...

Should I spend some time with Emmett?

…

…

I may as well. She’s making me tea, after all.

“Ah, Akira. It’s ready!”

Flashing me a smile, Emmett returns, setting down a pot and two cups between up.

With that, I shared some tea and talked about boys with Emmett.

 

The teapot was nearly empty now. Setting down my cup, I voiced a question that had been on my mind since the last time we talked.

“Say…  Emmett? How’d you decide you wanted to be a lawyer?”

“Hm?”

She looked down at her tea, swirling her cup lazily. After a few moments her eyes met mine. There was a broad grin on her face.

“That’s a good question, heh…”

I leaned forward, bracing for an incoming story. Laying her hands on the table in front of her, she kindly obliged.

“Sure as heck never expected to make it so big, y’know? I mean, I always expected to end up takin’ over m’parents’ restaurant.”

“Wait, a restaurant? Woah…”

“I know, wouldn’t think it with how I turned out, huh?” Emmett chuckled, resting her head on a hand. “But yeah, it’s just a little ol’ shack on a small street corner in Alabama. Not much, but it’s home… My brother and I grew up there.”

I fell silent a bit, trying to take in all of that. Alabama was a state in America, right? I’ve never been outside Japan, so I wouldn’t really know...

"Wait, did you say you had a brother?”

It seemed like Emmett’s smile faded a little briefly. Taking a deep breath, she continued.

“Haha, yeah, that’s Tyron, my older brother. We spent most’ve our younger years running around the restaurant. In fact, Momma always said we were weaned on grits.”

“W-Weaned on… wha-?”

I must’ve looked pretty surprised, for Emmett laughed openly, slapping the table.

“Oh, it’s just a joke, hon.” Waving a hand at me playfully, she settled down some. “Besides, my momma makes the best grits in the country!”

“...Grits?”

Again, I found myself baffled.

“Ah, yes, it’s kinda a regional thing. It’s, huh…”

She blinked, pursing her lips.

“It’s… like a… porridge? Made of corn… Hmm…”

Her brow was furrowed now as she thought this over. Wow… I guess it was harder than she expected, trying to describe this. After a few moments of deep thought, she shook her head, smile returning.

“Damn, I didn’t think it’d be so hard to describe… I’ll have to see if we have some in here, an’ I’ll make some for ya!”

"O-Oh, you don't have to-"

"No really, I'm gonna!" She crossed her arms, a smug grin on her face. "Told ya I would, right? Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve made any of ma’s favorites…”

For a moment I thought I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes as she looked away. Was she homesick? That feeling… I couldn’t even imagine being away from my own family for so long.

“Hmm… what sort of things did your mother like to cook?”

My question seemed to brighten her mood instantly.

“Oh, honey, you have no idea! Ma made the most finger lickin’ good spare ribs, best in the country! Mac n’ cheese, collared greens, and-”

Emmett proceeded to rattle off a long list of foods I had never heard of, insisting she was going to make them all for me.

I have no idea how I’m gonna eat all that food…

Anyways, after a very impressive list from a very eager Emmett, she finally brought it all together.

“See, hon? Ma always calls it soul food!”’

“Soul… food…?”

Emmett nodded, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“That’s right. Cuz you put your heart and soul into it, day in and day out! You can feel the soul in it… It’s made with love!”

I could certainly feel the soul right now, radiating from Emmett. She was certainly passionate about this soul food. I suppose you can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl!

I found myself smiling. Her excitement was a pleasant, innocent one. I found myself imagining a young Emmett running around a small restaurant, trying to help her parents with errands.

Before I knew it, Emmett was looking me in the eye, a sly smile on her face.

"Look at you, kid... Just what's on your mind, anyways?"

"Ah, I-I-" 

Was my daydreaming really that obvious? Squirming in my seat, I found my cheeks growing warm.

"I-I was just... imagining what you were like as a kid, hehe... I bet you were a real ball of energy!"

"Haha, I wish. No, I was a shy baby! No lie!"

She giggled, twirling a strand of her hair around a finger.

"For real, though... Tyron was always the energetic one, running about waiting and cleaning tables and helpin' run the place. I was scared of people, so I just hid in the back and washed dishes all night. Well, as soon as I was big enough to do it, that is..."

Right, I couldn't exactly imagine a little toddler Emmett washing dishes. She totally woulda tried, though. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a giggle. From the smirk on Emmett’s face she caught on.

“Ohhh… What’s so funny, hmm?” Her face took on a little mock-pout. “I’ll have you know I was very well-behaved. It was Tyron who was th’ naughty one!”

“I see… So you were the perfect angel, hmm…?”

She grinned triumphantly, before putting her hands on her cheeks.

“You know it, girl! Am I not the epitome of innocence?”

The whole scene right then and there, it was just too ridiculous. Before I knew it, I was lost in a fit of laughter. It quickly spread, and we were both desperately trying to keep ourselves from falling out of our seats. After sharing a good long laugh, we gradually came back to earth, recovering.

“Aha… Ohh lordy, what am I gonna do with you, girl?”

Shaking her head, she made for the teapot, aiming to top off her cup. Unfortunately, nothing came out. It was empty.

“Drat. Well, I guess that’s it.”

She stood up, grabbing the empty pot and her cup.

“I’ll clean up, hon. You go stretch your legs somewhere, an’ stop hangin’ around with stuffy ol’ me.”

Giggling, she cast me a bit of a wave as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Emmett sure has a fun little family from the sound of it. It was nice, really. Felt almost… normal. Nice to have a bit of normalcy on the mind in this place.

After all that, I feel like Emmett and I have grown a bit closer...

——————

But alas, my legs were a bit sore from sitting so long. May as well take a walk. Sliding my cup away from the table’s edge a little, I stood up, making my way outside. The sun was hanging off in the distance, casting a late-afternoon warmth over the entire park. I nearly found myself believing that this was a normal amusement park, as a matter of fact.

The one fact I could never get over, though…

There was no one else here.

Sure, I heard a faint music tune coming from the far area of the park, but there’s supposed to be hordes upon hordes of people here, right? I couldn’t even see any of my classmates…

Oh, wait… There’s someone over by the flowers, kneeling down. Looks like he’s doing something in one of the beds between the theatre and the locker room… Is that… Hideaki? He had a little spade in his hand and appeared to be digging. As I walked towards him, I noticed him scooping dirt around one of the plants there and patting it down.

...Oh, right. He agreed to be the gardener, I remember now.

“O-Oh! Akira!”

Hideaki stumbled to his feet, turning to face me with a little bounce. I returned his enthusiasm with a weak wave, looking over the flowerbed he was just working on.

——————

“W-What’re you workin’ on?” 

I looked over the bed of flowers next to us. For the most part, the soil was a deep, healthy brown, however the stretch furthest from us looked a dry, pale grey. Following my gaze, Hideaki perked up, grabbing a nearby watering can.

"Oh! Oh, yeah! I was watering the flowers!"

He bit his lip, smile fading a little.

"U-Um... You can help me if you like..."

The poor guy... His eyes were pleading...

Ah, well. Should I spend time with Hideaki?

...

...

"Sure, why not. i don't have much else to do."

May as well keep the kid company. Hearing my words, a smile returned to his face. He turned around, trotting back to the garden shed before returning with a second watering can.

"O-Okay! Let's go! I wanna water all these beds..."

Looking out at the courtyard, I spied a good four beds at least. This could be a long afternoon.

 

An hour or two later, and I found myself utterly astounded at the sheer amount of water plants can drink. We lugged can after can to each of the large flowerbeds, however as we poured the water onto the dry earth at their roots, the soil seemed to remain just as dry as before we started. It was uncanny, really. If I didn't have the ever-smiling Hideaki by my side, I might have felt discouraged. But his enthusiasm for his work was infectious. Oddly so. As we lugged our empty cans back to the garden shed, I couldn't help but bring it up.

"Say, Hideaki... You seem like you're really into this..."

Hideaki turned toward me, putting a finger to his chin.

"Oh? Hehe, yeah! I really like gardening!"

He was bouncing on his toes, bubbling over with excitement. The watering can jiggled in his hands, still dripping a tiny bit of water on the ground at his feet. But he didn't seem to notice, beaming back at me like he was a little puppy fetching a stick. I couldn't help it, I chuckled.

"Hehe... I have to admit, I never saw that one coming..."

I tucked my can just inside the door of the garden shed, turning back to face him. He offered me his watering can, but there was a slight frown on his face.

"...Huh? Is that strange, Akira?"

I mulled over his question as I returned the other watering can to the shed. It was a simple question, stemming from something I had said without much thought.

"I guess not, I mean... A hobby is a hobby..."

Turning back to face him, I crossed my arms. There wasn't much else to do now, right? Aside from trying not to talk myself into a corner, that is.

"You're a big sports star, right? How'd you get into something like gardening, anyways?"

Oh dear, my mouth just keeps running and running. Must be more tired than I first thought. Hideaki didn't seem to mind my awkwardness, letting out a little giggle.

"Ehe... I guess I just found it nice."

He tilted his head back just a little, staring right past me.

"They just... Plants are so pretty, right? They come in so many colors, and lots of neat shapes and sizes, right?"

His voice, it seemed to be lacking in its usual energy all of a sudden. The change was subtle, but enough to catch my attention. Narrowing my eyes a little, I found myself hanging on his words now.

"A-And, and... You get to see something so small grow into something so pretty! I-It just... It feels really good, right...?"

The smile returned to his face, but there was still something missing from his voice. He didn't seem like himself.

"Yeah, yeah." I said, shuffling in place a little. "I guess it would. I mean, it takes a lot of work, right?"

Hideaki looked back at me, tilting his head to the side a little. After a few seconds he rubbed his chin, thinking.

"Mhm... Yeah... It's a lot of work, but it feels so good to see the results!"

He giggled softly, finally looking me in the eye. Whatever was going through his mind right then seemed to have passed. Pushing the garden shed door closed, we made our way over to the fountain, sitting down to catch our breath. For a while we just listened to the water flowing behind us. When we weren’t looking at the stupid bear statues, the fountain sure was nice.

“So, uh… when did you start…?” I asked, looking over at the genial boy. “Gardening, that is.”

“Me? Uh… uh…”

For a brief moment his face tensed up as he mulled over his reply. Strange. What’s with that? Did he not want to talk about this? He didn’t have to if he didn’t want to, I mean it was just a stupid question-

“I was nine.”

Wait, what?

“Hehe, it’s really kinda silly, Akira. I-I mean, we just moved to a new house, and there were these old flower beds outside.”

He pulled his legs up under him, so he was now sitting cross-legged.

“They were just kinda bare, a-and then when spring came about, things started to grow! I-It was amazing… Dad didn’t seem interested, s-so I just started trying to look after the flowers myself.”

“Wow, okay. So they were bulbs, or something?” I nodded, following along. My knowledge of flowers was tenuous, but weren’t there a sort of thing which, like, goes to sleep over the winter then grows again? Hideaki nodded in return, so I must not be too far off. “So you were taking care of the flowers on your own?”

“Mhm! You’re right, Akira! Ehe, they were perennials!”

Hideaki giggled, covering his mouth.

“But yeah, it was just me. Didn’t have a clue what to do! S-So the neighbor let me use some of his tools, showed me how to do some things. Also kept me from watering them too much, hehe…”

Now he seemed perfectly fine. For some reason, those brief flashes of tension really nagged at me. Probably because they jarred with his usual overwhelmingly joyous persona. But no use prying into it now. After all, the boy was happily rambling on about various colors of flowers and the like. No use bringing him down, I figured. So I just smiled and laughed, and eventually my worries were forgotten.

All in all, I feel like Hideaki and I bonded a little.

——————

The sun was beginning to set as I laid flat-out on the side of the fountain. Sure, it wasn't the most comfortable bed, but I made due. After all, I didn't have much else to do right now. Hideaki had run off to wash up, vowing to bring us both back something to drink. I didn't feel quite so inclined, so here I was, basking in the faint warmth. It was the time of day where the sun began to cast shadows over buildings and trees and the like - my favorite, honestly. At least until the sun caught those awful Monobear effigies on the fountain next to me. Nect thing I knew a Monobear shadow was stretching over me. Disgusting.

“Aww, you think I’m ugly, don’t you, Akira-sama?” The real Monobear popped up out of nowhere, appearing right in front of me.

“Kyaaa!” I leapt to my feet, nearly falling backwards into the fountain. “W-What the hell?! Did you read my mind or something? And what’s with the sudden respect?”

“Upupupupu… It’s because I’m an esper, Akira-sama! I’m more psychic than the Super High School Level Psychic!” The bear cackled, grinning madly. “Just kidding!”

“What do you want?” What the hell’s with this damn bear, anyway? Always pestering me and crap…

“Oh, am I not welcome? How depressing…” The bear seemed to be pouting. “And here I just wanted to make sure you were alright…”

“O-Okay…” The odd sentiment caught me off guard, stifling my anger.

“Upupu… You’re going to enjoy the movie tonight, Akira-sama! Bear’s honor!” Raising a paw in the air, Monobear disappeared in a flash. I sighed, sitting back on the edge of the fountain. The insecurities I was trying to suppress came flooding back. Letting out a loud sigh, I slumped to the ground, pressing my back to the fountain as I hugged my legs to my chest.

  
  



End file.
